Raspberry Weeknight Cake

I made two recipes with raspberries before leaving San Antonio, in order to empty the freezer a bit (we had most of a bag of frozen raspberries to use up). The first was raspberry and cookie butter baked oatmeal and it was surprisingly mediocre. The second, however, was a “buttermilk” raspberry weeknight cake to die for! It was moist and had the perfect crumb. I topped it with a glaze made with powdered sugar and coconut milk (essentially whisking coconut milk into 2/3 cup sifted powdered sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time, until reaching the desired consistency). The Engineer had seconds and said he would be all over that had it been made with another fruit, since he’s not fond of raspberries. I think blueberries would be delicious, too.

1 cup unsweetened coconut milk
1 Tbsp. apple cider vinegar
2 cups all-purpose flour (gluten-free is okay here; I used all-purpose white wheat flour)
¾ cup granulated sugar
1 Tbsp. baking powder
1 tsp. xanthan gum (only if you are using gluten-free flour that would benefit from the addition)
½ tsp. kosher salt
¼ cup coconut oil, melted
2 tsp. vanilla extract
½ cup raspberries or other fresh fruit
powdered sugar or glaze, for serving (see above)

Arrange a rack in the middle of the oven and heat to 350 °F. Coat a 9x5-inch loaf pan with cooking spray.

In a small bowl, combine the coconut milk and the vinegar and set aside.

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, xanthan gum (if using), and salt. Make a well in the center and add the coconut oil, vanilla, and coconut milk mixture. Stir until smooth dough forms with no dry bits of flour. Gently fold in the raspberries (don't worry if they break apart).

Transfer the batter to the prepared pan and gently smooth it to the edges of the pan. Bake for 40 to 55 minutes, until the cake is golden on top and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Let the cake cool in the pan on a wire rack for at least 20 minutes, then invert it onto a serving plate. Dust with powdered sugar or spread with icing and serve.