RECIPE : Strawberry-Blackberry Cake

Summary: A bit like a baked strawberry shortcake, this easy dessert or brunch cake is perfumed with vanilla and Fiori di Sicilia, a specialty extract redolent of floral citrus and vanilla. The berries on top bake into little jam pockets.

Ingredients

• 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened to room temperature, plus more for pie plate
• 3/4 cup sugar + 2 tablespoons for topping
• 1 large egg
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1/4 teaspoon Fiori di Sicilia (or substitute orange extract)
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 12 ounces fresh strawberries, hulled and halved
• 6 ounces fresh blackberries
• Garnish: powdered sugar or freshly whipped cream

Instructions

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Butter (or mist with nonstick spray) a 10-inch pie plate, a 9-inch deep-dish pie plate, or a 9-inch Springform pan.
2. Put butter and 3/4 cup sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer. Mix on medium-high speed until pale and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Reduce speed to medium-low and mix in egg, milk, vanilla and Fiori di Sicilia. (The cold milk will likely cause the butter to clump. Don’t worry.)
3. Reduce speed to low; add salt and baking powder and mix well. Add flour and mix until combined. Scrape batter into buttered pie plate; an offset spatula works well to smooth batter into pie dish. Arrange strawberries on top of batter, cut sides down and as close together as possible; sprinkle blackberries on top. Sprinkle remaining 2 tablespoons sugar over berries (don’t reduce the sugar for topping because that’s what makes the berries jammy).
4. Bake cake 10 minutes; reduce oven temperature to 325 degrees and bake another 1 hour, until cake is golden brown and firm to the touch. Remove from oven and let cool in pie plate on a wire rack. Cut into wedges and dust with powdered sugar at serving time, for pretty.
5. Cake can be stored at room temperature, loosely covered, up to 2 days. It will remain moist.
6. Makes 1 10-inch cake; 8 servings.

source : http://www.shockinglydelicious.com