Cast Iron Blueberry-Cardamom Buttermilk Cake
By Nicole KonstantinakosPublished on March 3, 2025
Time
1¼ hours, plus 30 minutes cooling
Yield
Serves 8 to 12
Ingredients
Before You Begin
Be sure the melted butter has cooled to room temperature before adding it to the sugar mixture in step 3. You can substitute frozen (unthawed) blueberries for the fresh (you may need to add up to 5 minutes to the baking time). For added flair, serve this cake drizzled with Tea Glaze.
Instructions
- Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 350 degrees. Melt butter in 10-inch cast-iron skillet over low heat; swirl over bottom and sides of skillet, then transfer to small bowl (do not scrape residual butter from skillet) and let cool to room temperature, about 10 minutes.
- Whisk flour, baking powder, baking soda, cardamom, and salt together in medium bowl; set aside.
- Whisk 1 cup sugar and eggs in large bowl until mixture is pale and creamy, about 1 minute. Whisk in cooled butter until mixture is thick and creamy. Whisk in buttermilk, lemon zest, and vanilla until evenly combined. Using silicone spatula, fold flour mixture into buttermilk mixture until just combined (batter will be thick). Gently fold in blueberries.
- Transfer batter to skillet and smooth top. Sprinkle evenly with remaining 1 tablespoon sugar. Bake until cake is golden brown and toothpick inserted in center comes out clean, 40 to 45 minutes. Let cake cool in skillet on wire rack for 30 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature. (Slices of fully cooled cake can be reheated briefly in microwave or skillet-toasted in butter, if desired.)
Time
1¼ hours, plus 30 minutes coolingYield
Serves 8 to 12Ingredients
Test Kitchen Techniques
Ingredients
Test Kitchen Techniques
Ingredients
Test Kitchen Techniques
Why This Recipe Works
For a fluffy, buttery, tangy-sweet cake that gives blueberries a chance to shine, we turned to the cast-iron skillet, which kept the cake warm and tender long after it came out of the oven. We added a trio of aromatics—cardamom, lemon zest, and vanilla—to complement but not compete with the berries. To avoid fussy mixing methods and appliances, we relied on the tried-and-true muffin mixing method, which yields a light and slightly loose crumb, perfect for showcasing berries. After melting butter in the skillet (which also served to grease the skillet), we whisked the dry ingredients together in a bowl. In a second bowl, we whisked the sugar and eggs until creamy (which both dissolved the sugar and incorporated air) and then added the remaining liquid ingredients. Finally, we folded the dry and liquid ingredients together (along with the berries), transferred the batter to the buttered skillet, and sprinkled the top with some sugar for a crackly crust. We served this cake right out of the skillet.
Before You Begin
Be sure the melted butter has cooled to room temperature before adding it to the sugar mixture in step 3. You can substitute frozen (unthawed) blueberries for the fresh (you may need to add up to 5 minutes to the baking time). For added flair, serve this cake drizzled with Tea Glaze.
Instructions
- Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 350 degrees. Melt butter in 10-inch cast-iron skillet over low heat; swirl over bottom and sides of skillet, then transfer to small bowl (do not scrape residual butter from skillet) and let cool to room temperature, about 10 minutes.
- Whisk flour, baking powder, baking soda, cardamom, and salt together in medium bowl; set aside.
- Whisk 1 cup sugar and eggs in large bowl until mixture is pale and creamy, about 1 minute. Whisk in cooled butter until mixture is thick and creamy. Whisk in buttermilk, lemon zest, and vanilla until evenly combined. Using silicone spatula, fold flour mixture into buttermilk mixture until just combined (batter will be thick). Gently fold in blueberries.
- Transfer batter to skillet and smooth top. Sprinkle evenly with remaining 1 tablespoon sugar. Bake until cake is golden brown and toothpick inserted in center comes out clean, 40 to 45 minutes. Let cake cool in skillet on wire rack for 30 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature. (Slices of fully cooled cake can be reheated briefly in microwave or skillet-toasted in butter, if desired.)
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