Berry, Berry, Berry Good

We are currently in a glory of fruit. This year, the melons, the nectarines and the berries seem sweeter than ever, and so abundant that our funny little farmer's market has become the quintessential cornucopia. The plum trees in the neighborhood are bent down with sweet fruit and people are even leaving their bounty on our doorstep anonymously. Who knew that cool, overcast and windy summers = bountiful fruit?


Last week, at the farmer's market, my favorite berry vendor, Juan, who works for Rodriguez Brothers Farms, had plump blackberries and tangy raspberries as well as the sweetest strawberries this side of Heaven. We bought our usual three-pack of organic strawberries, then added a basket each of blackberries and raspberries. That's a lot of berries for two people to eat in three days (they are so ripe, they only last three days) but we usually give a basket or two away to friends (like Chilebrown, who gave me the curing salts for my bacon) or to neighbors.


When we got them home, I wasn't in the mood for the egginess of clafouti, but I remembered a post on Hungry Dog that talked about a berry-filled cake so I searched it out and made it one afternoon in time to serve it warm for dessert. 


This one is a keeper. It's called Blackberry Upside-Down Cake, from epicurious.com. I followed the recipe except I used a mixture of blackberries, raspberries and strawberries. It was pretty easy to make and quick - I preheated the oven while I mixed the cake and actually had to wait a few extra minutes for the oven to come up to full temperature. You use only one bowl, a single cake pan, a beater, a measuring cup or two and a couple of spoons - not a lot of dishes to wash afterwards.


Having never tasted the full-on blackberry version, I can't compare the two, but I can tell you that the mixed-berry version was berry, berry, berry good.  Topped with vanilla ice cream, it went all the way to transcendent.