As those who know me can attest, my style of cooking has always been pretty freeform, with approximate measures--even when baking--more common than carefully measured out ingredients.
Having this blog has been a good challenge for me, because I try never to post anything that I have not carefully measured and tried at least a couple of times, so that anyone reading the recipe should be able to easily duplicate it.
Along with testing, I try very hard to be sure that whatever I post is "original," in that I have either developed it from the beginning or have put plenty of spin on some recipe I might have found from another source.
Oh, and finally, I really do try to be sure the recipes are generally "frugal," using seasonal and reasonably priced ingredients as much as possible.
So today a recipe that barely fits these criteria.
First of all, of course, is the frugality of a recipe using four cups--FOUR CUPS!--of almost always very expensive raspberries when purchased at the store. However, if you happen to live in an area like my home where raspberries grow wherever you give them space, the only "cost" this time of year can be the time needed to get out into the berry patch and avoid scratches and bugs.
This cake has definitely been tested and tried, with the first taster saying it was "yummy; almost like ice cream, just not cold." All thumbs up and anxious for more.
The one place where I am testing my own standards is in the originality piece. I was looking for a recipe that would use the quart of raspberries I was able to pick from half the patch (rain kept me from the rest) and came upon this Taste of Home option. Looking it over, I realized it was almost exactly like what I was seeking, so I am posting it with almost no changes. If you want to see the original, go to
Sometimes, things just can't be improved upon, so here is my almost-the-same take on what really is a "royal" cake.
Royal Raspberry Cake
Ingredients
CAKE2 cups flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/3 cup butter or margarine, softened
1 cup sugar
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
1 cup water (OR use skim milk and omit the dry milk powder)
1/3 cup dry milk
4 cups fresh raspberries--if washed, drain thoroughly
GLAZE
1-1/2 cups confectioners' sugar
approximately 2 tablespoons skim milk--enough to make a thin glaze
2 tablespoons butter, melted
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
Directions
- · Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in egg, almond, and vanilla. Sift together the flour and baking powder and add alternately with milk, beating well after each addition.
- Spread into a greased 13x9-in. baking dish.
Spoon berries over top.
- ·Bake at 350° for 30-35 minutes or until center of cake springs back when lightly touched.
- While the cake is baking, combine all the glaze ingredients. As soon as the cake comes out of the oven, spread the glaze over the cake, leaving berries exposed. Serve warm or cold.
- Refrigerate if not eaten right away, as the cake is very moist.
(Sorry--couldn't get a picture fast enough, before the first pieces were already out of the pan and being eaten!)
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