Use a frozen bag of DOLE® Wildly Nutritious Mixed Berries for this buttermilk cake, and you don't even have to wait for them to thaw first! For extra enjoyment, serve with a side of vanilla bean ice cream.
Many of you know from photos that recently I was in California with DOLE® Packaged Foods where they educated a team of bloggers about their products and how we can incorporate them into our everyday meal plans. Before this trip, I was already an enthusiastic consumer of DOLE and used their canned pineapple, juice, frozen fruits, etc. in my kitchen. But, after learning how DOLE is never genetically modified and about their commitment to being a leader in nutrition, education and research, I can truthfully say I'm one of their #1 fans!
I will post more about my trip later next week, but today I want to share with you one of the many delicious recipes we were served by the DOLE Wellness Kitchen. I modified it slightly when making it at home this week. The original is a Dark Cherry Buttermilk Cake, which I thoroughly enjoyed tasting in California, but I decided to test it out in my own kitchen with DOLE's frozen mixed berries.
GREAT choice, I must say. Just look at its beauty! Ben came home from work, found the cake on the counter and grabbed a fork right away. He didn't stop eating it, so I had to remove it from his sight before he spoiled his dinner!
Simple and gorgeous, this cake is a perfect choice for a quick dessert option when you find yourself in a pinch. Just make sure you have DOLE frozen fruit stored in your freezer. You don't even have to think ahead of time about taking them out to thaw, because they go on the batter frozen!
This is not a paid promotion. DOLE invited me to their headquarters to help me share my enthusiasm for their products. DOLE paid for my all-inclusive trip, but all opinions are my own.
Recipe Card
Mixed Berries Buttermilk Cake
Ingredients
- ¼ cup unsalted butter , slightly softened
- ½ cup plus 1 Tablespoon granulated sugar , divided
- 1 large egg
- 1 ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup buttermilk*
- 12 oz. frozen mixed berries
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Grease a 9-inch round cake pan with nonstick spray.
- In a large mixing bowl, beat together the butter and ½ cup of sugar until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Beat in the egg, then the vanilla.
- In a separate medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Add to the wet ingredients and mix until just combined. Gradually pour in the buttermilk and stir until incorporated, being careful not to over mix.
- Spread batter evenly into the greased cake pan. Open the bag of frozen fruit and evenly arrange over top the batter. Sprinkle with the remaining 1 Tablespoon of sugar.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 30 minutes.** Remove from the oven and let stand for 10 minutes before inverting onto a platter. Serve warm with vanilla bean ice cream.
Notes
- *If you do not have buttermilk on hand, substitute by mixing together ½ tablespoon vinegar with ½ cup milk. Let stand for 5 minutes before adding to the recipe.
- **The original recipe calls for 2 cups of frozen dark cherries, and a baking time of 20 minutes.
- Recipe Source: DOLE® Wellness Kitchen
- Nutrition info is an estimate only and will vary.
Tatiana says
Can I use yogurt instead of buttermilk? I rarely buy buttermilk bc I don’t have recipes to use it. Thank you!
Nikki Gladd says
That could probably work, but may have a little bit of a different texture. I have not tested it.
Jennifer says
I’ve made this cake several times, and it’s always a hit!
I was thinking of trying it using cupcake pans. Have you tried that yet? Thinking 1 recipe would give me 1 dozen cupcakes…
Nikki Gladd says
Hi Jennifer! I haven't tried that but now I want to! 🙂 I recently purchased the Pampered Chef brownie pan with 12 individual square cavities, and think that might be a good option too! Let me know how they turn out for you.
Donna O’Connor says
My friend whom I gave your recipe to, asked me if you can make the batter with gluten free flour? We both love the recipe!
Nikki Gladd says
Hi Donna, I'm not experienced with gf flour, so I'm unsure! Maybe another reader will see this and have an answer for you.
Joanne says
I cooked in preheated oven at 400 like recipe mentioned. I checked at 30 min and center looked “wet” although the edges were brown. I left in for 3 1/2 more minutes and cooled in pan on rack for 10 min. The center was still not cooked through.
Nikki Gladd says
Hi Joanne,
It's hard to tell why the center may have not been cooked through, as ovens can vary so greatly. I also wondered what type of pan you used? I typically use a metal pan and glass pans can take longer and heat unevenly in the middle, so maybe this happened? If so, I'd like to know so I can update the recipe to add a note to warn others. Thank you!
San says
Have you made this with GG flour?
Nikki Gladd says
Hi San,
I'm unsure what GG flour is... so I guess I have not.
Bob says
We made this recipe yesterday , it was excellent, the only thing we would do next time is to follow the recipe as shown but double the cake batter as we would like a little more cake , but will definitely make this cake again.
Amaira says
Hi Nikki,
Would I be able to make this work with an 8" or a 10" cake pan?
Thanks,
Amaira
Nikki Gladd says
Yes! Just bake a tiny bit longer for the 8-inch pan or a little less time for the 10-inch. 🙂
Karen says
THANK YOU for posting this!! I just made it tonight and it's delicious!
(I used Trader Joe's Fancy Berry Medley: blueberries, raspberries, and blackberries.)
One caution: Depending on your oven, you may need to start checking at around 25 minutes. By 30 minutes, my version was a touch too dark golden brown. Still yummy though! I keep having to remind myself, "It's supposed to serve EIGHT..."
Rachelle says
I have fresh berries to use...would that make any difference?
Debbie says
Do you thaw the berries first??
Nikki Gladd says
Hi Debbie! Nope! That's the beauty of this recipe. You don't wait to thaw the berries! Yay! 🙂
Laura Dembowski says
I'd skip dinner for more of this cake! It looks so pretty and the berries mean it's healthy, right? 😉
Nikki Gladd says
I like your line of thinking, Laura! 🙂
Diane Hutchings says
This looks seriously good!! I wish we were still coming to your house tonight 🙁 Boo on bronchiolitis!
carly says
Looks awesome! I can't wait to try it!
Karly says
Oh my goodness, that cake is so loaded with berries! Love it!