Mixed Berry Bundt Cake

Every summer, it seems that I do most of my shopping at local produce markets. Yes, I love the comfort of winter's stews and soups and casseroles and gratins. But in the summer, I always find myself craving lighter and fresher meals. I guess the warmer weather makes me think of all the fresh fruits and veggies grown from local farms in my area. (Seriously one of my favorite things about living in the Garden State!)
 So I recently made a huge batch of bumbleberry jam, (which was FABULOUS, btw) and I had quite a few berries leftover. Hmm.. what can I make with them? Sure, I could make a pie, or a Strawberry Shortcake, but I wanted something new. Oh! How about something light and no-fuss that I could bring to an all-day rehearsal for the show I'm currently doing? A bundt cake! Yes, That's the answer. And off I go, looking for the right recipe. Well, it didn't take me long to find THIS one. It's from Williams-Sonoma, and it's PERFECT! It's simple to make, I already had all of the ingredients on hand, and it's absolutely delicious. And it was just the thing to bring to my rehearsal, no plates or utensils needed, and everyone could just grab a slice at any time throughout the day whenever they wanted. Everyone loved it! It would also be fabulous with a citrus glaze drizzled over it for any special occasion or even just an afternoon tea. Maybe next time I'll serve it with a little bit of the bumbleberry jam that I made! Boom.


5 eggs
1 2/3 cups granulated sugar
20 Tbs. (2 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room
  temperature, cut into small pieces
2 Tbs. kirsch or other fruit liqueur
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking powder
Pinch of salt
3 1/2 cups raspberries (divided)
1 1/2 cups blueberries or blackberries
Confectioners’ sugar for dusting (optional)


 Preheat an oven to 325°F. Butter and flour a Bundt pan. In a large bowl, blend the eggs and granulated sugar. Using an electric mixer, beat in the butter and liqueur until fluffy. Add all but 2 Tbs. of the flour and the baking powder and salt, and beat until well incorporated and no lumps remain. In another bowl, combine 1 1/2 cups of the raspberries and the blueberries with the remaining 2 Tbs. flour. Toss to coat the berries evenly with the flour. Using a rubber spatula, gently fold the berries into the batter. Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Bake until a wooden skewer inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean, about 1 hour. Transfer the pan to a wire rack and let the cake cool in the pan for 20 to 25 minutes. Unmold the cake onto the rack and let cool completely. Fill the center of the cake with the remaining 2 cups raspberries. Dust the cake with confectioners' sugar.

 Tips:

I listed the recipe the way Williams-Sonoma did, but I didn't do it exactly the same.
For one, I didn't have raspberries, I had strawberries. So I just diced them up to about the same size as the other berries. I also didn't serve mine with two cups of berries in the center. So be sure you only put a total of 3 cups of berries in the cake batter. I say this because I almost threw all 5 cups of berries into the cake and then realized that 2 of the cups were intended for garnish. Whew! That was a close one. Serves me right for not READING the entire recipe as I'm making it. LOL ah well. Live and learn.