Huckleberry Cake

4.80 from 5 votes
Comment
Jump to Recipe

As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

This buttermilk huckleberry cake is as good as it looks, and what’s more, it’s super easy to make and not too sweet. 

A huckleberry cake with a slice removed.
Photo by Holly A. Heyser

I have Heidi Swanson of 101 Cookbooks to thank for this recipe. Heidi is not your typical vegetarian, and her cookbook Super Natural Every Day is not your typical vegetarian cooking. Yeah, I know, I am a hunter. I eat meat. But I like my fruits and veggies, too.

I first became aware of Heidi early on in my blogging career, when her stuff would show up in Google searches for the various odd ingredients I like to use: farro, whole oat groats, quinces, black kale, wild mushrooms. Her dishes have always been well-thought out, original, and tasty.

The other place where Heidi’s cooking shines is in her desserts, like this huckleberry cake. I really don’t like overly sweet desserts. And neither does she. Her buttermilk cake is a triumph — mildly sweet, tangy and tart from the fruit toppings. Plus, it will keep at room temperature for 4 days, covered loosely. Big bonus.

You should know that there is virtually no difference between a huckleberry cake and a blueberry cake; the berries are interchangeable. You could also use red huckleberries, too, which would be cool. Currants would also work, as would smaller gooseberries. 

Close up of huckleberry cake in a tart pan.
Photo by Holly A. Heyser

I use maple sugar in this cake because it adds a hint of maple, which I like a lot. But maple sugar can be hard to find and expensive, so if you can’t find it, use any brown sugar.

Cake flour makes this huckleberry cake better, but you can use all-purpose. The difference is in the crumb, the tenderness of the cake. Cake flour is, well… cakier. 

This cake is prettier when made in a tart pan, but a regular 1 1/2-quart Pyrex or metal loaf pan, which is typically 8 1/2 by 4 1/2 by 2 1/2 inches also works. You can also put this mixture into muffin tins, but I also have a specific huckleberry muffins recipe that might be better for that. 

Close up of huckleberry cake in a tart pan.
4.80 from 5 votes

Huckleberry Cake

This is not the exact recipe for Heidi Swanson's buttermilk cake, although it's pretty close. Heidi uses plums and turbinado sugar on her cake, while I am using huckleberries (blueberries would be fine, too), mixing them into the batter, and then topping the cake with maple sugar. This cake is super moist, delicately sweet and it keeps for several days. It's a little like a giant blueberry muffin.
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Servings: 8 people
Author: Hank Shaw
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 25 minutes
Total Time: 35 minutes

Ingredients 

  • 2 1/2 cups cake flour (or all-purpose)
  • 1 tablespoon baking powder
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon fine-grained salt
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 1/2 cups buttermilk, full fat if possible
  • 1/4 cup melted butter (not too hot)
  • Grated zest of 2 lemons
  • 3/4 cup huckleberries or blueberries, fresh or frozen
  • 3 tablespoons maple sugar, or turbinado sugar

Instructions 

  • Preheat the oven to 400°F and make sure you have a rack near the top of the oven. Heat rises, remember? Butter and flour an 11-inch tart pan with removable bottom or a cake pan and set aside.
  • Mix the flour, baking powder, salt and sugar in a large bowl. In another bowl, whisk together the buttermilk and eggs. Now, with one hand whisking the mixture, drizzle in the melted butter. You need to do this to keep the heat of the butter from scrambling the eggs.
  • Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ones, and mix just to combine. About halfway through the mixing, add the lemon zest and 1/2 cup of the huckleberries. Pour the batter into the pan and make sure it's evenly distributed. Sprinkle the remaining huckleberries over the cake, then the maple sugar.
  • Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until a toothpick comes clean out of the center of the cake. Gently remove the pan from the oven and set on a rack. Let this sit 5 minutes, then, very gently, pop the bottom up from the pan to free the cake, which will look like a large, flat muffin. If it sticks on the sides of the pan, use a knife to free the cake. Let the cake rest on the rack for 15 minutes before eating.

Notes

If you are using frozen berries, don't thaw them before adding them to the mixture. 

Nutrition

Calories: 313kcal | Carbohydrates: 51g | Protein: 8g | Fat: 9g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Cholesterol: 61mg | Sodium: 264mg | Potassium: 282mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 20g | Vitamin A: 328IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 139mg | Iron: 1mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Tried this recipe? Tag me today!Mention @huntgathercook or tag #hankshaw!

You May Also Like

Cucumber Agua Fresca

How to make a cucumber agua fresca with lime and a touch of salt. This is a great hot-weather drink that also uses up cucumbers if you have too many.

Olive Oil Rosemary Cake

A recipe for an olive oil rosemary cake with pine nuts. This is an Italian cake that isn’t too sweet, and is great with preserved fruit and a little liqueur.

Pine Nut Cookies

How to make pine nut cookies, pignoli, with American pine nuts — although any kind of pine nut works. These cookies have a touch of rosemary in them and are not too sweet.

Butternut Squash Bread

My take on the classic, butternut squash bread is like pumpkin bread: A semi-sweet, breakfast type quickbread studded with pepitas.

About Hank Shaw

Hey there. Welcome to Hunter Angler Gardener Cook, the internet’s largest source of recipes and know-how for wild foods. I am a chef, author, and yes, hunter, angler, gardener, forager and cook. Follow me on Instagram and on Facebook.

Leave a comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating