Buckwheat Berry Striped Cake

By Melissa Clark

Buckwheat Berry Striped Cake
Andrew Scrivani for The New York Times
Total Time
45 minutes
Rating
5(259)
Comments
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A combination of buckwheat and whole wheat flour gives this deeply buttery cake a character that is nutty, rich and complex, while a little almond flour adds tenderness. Baking it in a shallow tart pan instead of a cake pan allows the colorful berries to rest on top of the batter rather than sink to the bottom. It’s prettiest in a 10-inch tart pan, where the pattern will be at its most striking. But if you don’t have one, a 9-inch pan also works. We arranged the berries into stripes here, but feel free to create any design you like. Serve this on the same day as you bake it, preferably within 6 hours of baking. It doesn’t keep well overnight.   

Featured in: The Trick to Keeping Berry Cake Beautiful

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Ingredients

Yield:10 servings
  • ⅓cup/40 grams almond flour
  • ⅓cup/45 grams all-purpose flour
  • ⅓cup/45 grams whole wheat flour
  • ¼cup/30 grams buckwheat flour
  • ½teaspoon baking powder
  • ½teaspoon fine sea salt
  • 1stick/114 grams butter, softened, more for buttering pan
  • ½cup/100 grams granulated sugar
  • 1teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1large egg
  • ¼cup/60 milliliters buttermilk, sour cream or whole milk yogurt
  • 1cup mixed berries, such as strawberries, blueberries or raspberries, more as needed
  • 1tablespoon turbinado (or use granulated sugar)
  • Confectioners’ sugar, for serving
  • Whipped cream or crème fraîche (optional)
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (10 servings)

207 calories; 12 grams fat; 6 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 3 grams monounsaturated fat; 1 gram polyunsaturated fat; 23 grams carbohydrates; 2 grams dietary fiber; 13 grams sugars; 3 grams protein; 153 milligrams sodium

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Heat oven to 375 degrees and butter a 10-inch tart pan with a removable bottom. Line the bottom with a round of parchment, and butter that as well.

  2. Step 2

    In a large bowl, whisk together almond, all-purpose, whole wheat and buckwheat flours, baking powder and salt.

  3. Step 3

    Using an electric mixer, beat together butter, sugar and vanilla extract until pale and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Beat in egg, scraping down sides of bowl as necessary. Beat in buttermilk. (The mixture will look curdled, and that’s O.K.) Stir in flour mixture until just combined.

  4. Step 4

    Scrape batter into prepared pan, smoothing and leveling the top. Place berries on top of batter and sprinkle with turbinado or granulated sugar.

  5. Step 5

    Bake until golden and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, 25 to 30 minutes. Cool to room temperature on a wire rack and unmold. Sprinkle with confectioners’ sugar and serve, with whipped cream if you like.

Ratings

5 out of 5
259 user ratings
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Comments

marilyn

My 10 year old son made this today. He baked it for 25 minutes and the toothpick came out clean. It looks wet on top, but is cooked through.

IZ

Hi Melissa,
My husband has celiac disease, so we maintain a gluten-free household. I often make silver dollar pancakes with 100% buckwheat flour, topping the silver dollars with fresh blueberries, and a drizzle of honey.
My question re: this cake recipe, to you and other readers: any suggestions for the best gluten-free flour(s) to replace the all-purpose and wheat flours?
In the meantime, I will try making the cake by doubling up the buckwheat and almond flours.
Thanks!

Tina Buchan

I whipped this up this afternoon. For the wet ingredients, I opted for the yogurt. I did not change anything. At 30 minutes, the cake was still wet in the middle. Put it in another 10 minutes and it's still not done. I used a 10" pan. The actual batter was thick. My oven has been baking everything else with normal bake times. Curious why my bake time is so different from the recipe. Any thoughts from other bakers?

Susan

This is fabulous. I make this cake all the time, using a 9 inch springform pan. We often avoid dairy so I use plain ripple with a bit of vinegar to make buttermilk and it works fine. It has always been a huge hit with guests. I store leftovers in the refrigerator and my husband and I have enjoyed it for up to a week. I have a big crowd coming and am thinking of doubling the recipe. Has anyone tried, and what size pan might I use?

Lucy

This is flavorful, moist, easy and pretty. The buckwheat flavor is a bit strong for me, but I am still enjoying it. I used gluten free 1:1 flour in place of the white and whole wheat flours and it worked well.

anne

Is the butter to be used salted or unsalted?

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