Martha Stewart Brown-Sugar Cake with Bourbon and Berries

Martha Stewart brown-sugar cake with bourbon and berries takes 160 minutes and brown sugar, raspberries and blueberries to make a tender, crunchy-topped single-layer cake. Save this easy summer dessert for potlucks, parties or backyard dinners, because it's frosting-free, travels well and needs just one pan.

Alternate the flour mixture and the milk, beginning and ending with flour, so the batter stays smooth and tender. Dump everything in at once and the cake can turn out dense and tough.

Martha stirs a little bourbon into the batter, and the brown sugar plus a generous sanding sugar topping gives it a crunch like a big muffin top. Pressing some of the berries down into the batter also keeps the fruit from sitting on top and drying out.

Martha Stewart Brown-Sugar Cake with Bourbon and Berries

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Course: DessertCuisine: AmericanDifficulty: Easy

Servings

10

servings

Prep time

20

minutes

Cooking time

1

hour 

Calories

290

kcal

A tender, buttery crumb sits under a crackly sugar crust studded with jammy raspberries and blueberries. It bakes in one pan, so you get a simple snacking cake with no frosting at all.

Ingredients

• 1 stick unsalted butter, room temperature, plus more for pan
  

• 1 3/4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
  

• 1 3/4 teaspoons baking powder
  

• 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
  

• 1/3 cup granulated sugar
  

• 2/3 cup packed light-brown sugar
  

• 2 large eggs, room temperature
  

• 4 teaspoons bourbon, such as Maker's Mark
  

• 2/3 cup whole milk, room temperature
  

• 1 cup raspberries
  

• 1 cup blueberries
  

• Fine sanding sugar, for sprinkling
  

Directions

• Prep the pan: Preheat the oven to 350°F, then butter a 9-by-2-inch round cake pan. Line it with parchment and butter the parchment too.
• Whisk the dry ingredients: Whisk together 1 3/4 cups flour, 1 3/4 teaspoons baking powder and 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt in a bowl. Set it aside while you cream the butter.
• Cream butter and sugars: Beat 1 stick butter with 1/3 cup granulated sugar and 2/3 cup packed light-brown sugar on medium-high speed until light and creamy. Then add the 2 eggs one at a time, beating after each, and beat in the 4 teaspoons bourbon.
• Add flour and milk: Add the flour mixture in three batches, alternating with the 2/3 cup milk and beginning and ending with flour. Beat just until combined so the cake stays tender.
• Top with berries: Transfer the batter to the prepared pan. Sprinkle the top with 1 cup raspberries and 1 cup blueberries, pressing some down into the batter, then sprinkle generously with fine sanding sugar.
• Bake the cake: Bake for 50 minutes to 1 hour. It's done when the edges begin to pull away from the pan and the top springs back when lightly touched.
• Cool and unmold: Let the cake cool in the pan for 20 minutes. Then turn it out onto a wire rack carefully, since it's quite fragile when warm, and remove the parchment.
• Cool completely: Turn the cake top-side up and let it cool completely, about 1 hour. A dollop of whipped cream or a scoop of vanilla ice cream on the side finishes it nicely.

Tools for this recipe

• Fat Daddio's 9-inch round cake pans, set of 2, Reynolds unbleached parchment paper, Checkered Chef cooling racks, Diamond Crystal kosher salt, 3 lb. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

FAQs

Can I use other fruit instead of raspberries and blueberries?

Yes, the recipe notes say apricots, peaches, nectarines, plums and sour cherries all work. Use about 12 ounces sliced 1/2 inch thick for apricots, peaches or plums, or 1 pound pitted sour cherries, in place of the berries.

What can I use instead of bourbon?

Swap in kirsch with apricots, dark rum with peaches or nectarines, or 1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract with plums. The vanilla version is also the easy choice if you want no alcohol at all.

Can I make this brown-sugar cake ahead for a party?

Yes, it bakes and cools completely in about 2 hours, and it travels well, so it suits a potluck. I'd bake it the morning of, then serve it with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream.

Do I need a stand mixer for this recipe?

No, a hand mixer does the job. You only need to beat the butter and sugars until light and creamy, then keep mixing on low once the flour goes in.

Why did my cake break when I turned it out?

The cake is quite fragile while it's warm, so letting it sit in the pan for the full 20 minutes matters. Turn it out onto a wire rack carefully, peel off the parchment, then flip it top-side up.