buttermilk | Pamela Toman

Spice Cake

Uncle Gene's favorite.

You can substitute butter for shortening and slightly scant the buttermilk to make up for the liquid difference.

Ingredients	Step
	Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2¼ c. (270 g) cake flour 1 c. sugar 1 t. baking powder ¾ t. baking soda 1 t. salt 1 t. cloves ¾ t. cinnamon ½ t. nutmeg	Sift dry ingredients together in the bowl of a stand mixer.
	Grease and flour two 9" round cake tins (1½ inch deep).
¾ c. brown sugar ¾ c. shortening 1 c. buttermilk	Stir into the flour mixture, then beat for 2 minutes.
3 medium eggs	Add and beat in for 2 minutes.
	Pour into prepared pans. Bake 20-35 minutes, obeying the toothpick test.
	Cool slightly and remove from pans.
1½ c. brown sugar ¼ c. cream (ideally clotted cream or cream from the top of non-hydrogenated milk) 2 T. butter 1 T. vanilla	As you remove the cakes from the oven, prepare the frosting: Bring ingredients to a boil and boil for 3 minutes, stirring constantly. Remove from heat, then use a hand blender to beat until creamy, adding a little cream if necessary to make it easier to spread. Spread it onto the cake while the cakes are still warm.
	Cut cake while warm.

Source: my grandma

An easy, light, thin cake.

Ingredients	Step
	Heat oven to 400 degrees. Butter and flour a 9" round pan (springform is helpful).
1 c. flour 1/2 t. baking powder 1/2 t. baking soda 1/4 t. salt	Whisk together.
1/2 stick butter, ideally softened 2/3 c. white sugar	Beat together until pale and fluffy.
1/2 t. vanilla 1/2 t. lemon zest. (optional)	Add. Mix in.
1 egg	Add. Beat well.
1/2 c. buttermilk	Alternate the dry ingredients with the buttermilk to make a batter. Smooth into prepared cake pan.
1 c. raspberries	Scatter on top. Do not push in.
1.5 T. sugar	Sprinkle on top.
	Bake til golden and a toothpick inserted at center removes cleanly, ~15 minutes.
	Cool 10 minutes in pan. Then turn onto a cooling rack for 10-15 (until warm).

Source: Smitten Kitchen

Makes four small biscuits.

Ingredients	Step
	Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
1 c. flour 1 t. baking powder 1/8 t. baking soda 1/4 t. salt 1/2 t. thyme, dried	Combine.
3 T. butter, cold	Cut into dry ingredients.
1/3 c. buttermilk	Add. Blend with fork until just combined.
	Knead a few times. Pat into square and cut 4 pieces.
	Bake 10-12 minutes until golden on bottom.

Source: unknown

A dense cake that can hold up to heavy, wet fruit like strawberries or peaches.

Ingredients	Step
	Heat oven to 350 degrees. Put parchment in bottom of 9" cake pan.
1 stick butter, softened 1/3 c. white sugar 1/3 c. brown sugar 1 t. vanilla zest of 1 lemon	Beat together on medium-high, periodically scraping, until light, fluffy and creamy (~5 min). (No joke -- don't skimp on this. It's the secret to the cake.)
2 c/255 g AP flour 2 t. baking powder 1/2 t. salt	Whisk together.
2 eggs	Add eggs one at a time, scraping between each.
3/4 c. buttermilk	Incorporate by halves with flour, just until no large lumps remain.
5 oz. strawberries, sliced into planks 1/4-inch thick	Fold in to batter. Transfer batter and smooth.
5 oz. strawberries, sliced into planks 1/4-inch thick	Scatter the second half of the berries atop cake.
3 T demerara sugar	Sprinkle atop cake.
	Bake until puffed, deeply golden on top, fully baked where strawberries meet cake, and pulling away at sides (~45-50 min).
	Let cool completely, then remove from pan.

Source: NYT / Alison Roman