Buttermilk Pudding Cakes

Welcome 2011!! Like every year I have made my new year’s resolutions. One of them has been leisure traveling.

Since I will not travel for work anymore (I am sooooo happy!!!!), I will start to travel for fun!

I already have plans to go to many places and visit many friends. Among my trips there is one very special that I hope to make very soon. I would like to go back to Little Rock, AR.

I have not been in Little Rock in long time. Visiting old friends and enjoying the well known southern hospitality seams like a great plan. I cannot wait to taste some of the southern classic meals and good baking.

For these festive days I have prepared a southern dessert. I baked buttermilk pudding cakes. The cakes are very simple, tasty and versatile.

I garnished the cakes with lemon curd (of course) I made the night before. The result is great!

The recipe is from the book “Simple, Fresh, Southern: Knockout Dishes with Down-Home Flavor” from The Lee Bros.

I hope you like it!

Ingredients

Serves 8

3/4 cup sifted all-purpose flour

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

2 large eggs

3/4 cup whole or low-fat buttermilk

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

9 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon sugar

4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, melted and cooled to room temperature

Nonstick cooking spray

2 cups (8 ounces) fresh raspberries

Whipped cream, for serving (optional)

Directions

Preheat oven to 220º (425 degrees) with a rack positioned in the top third of the oven.

Sift together flour and baking powder in a large bowl. In another large bowl beat eggs until creamy and yellow. Whisk in buttermilk, vanilla, 5 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon sugar, and butter (mixture will look curdled and broken). Slowly add flour and whisk until batter is smooth and combined.

Spray 8 standard-size (3-ounce) nonstick muffin pan cups with nonstick cooking spray. Divide batter evenly among prepared muffin pan cups, filling about two-thirds full. Transfer to oven and bake until sides of cakes are evenly browned (check by inserting a knife tip between the rim of cake and muffin cup, pulling gently to expose side of cake), about 9 minutes. If cakes are not evenly browned, they will not hold together when inverted. Continue baking, checking every minute, until evenly browned.

Meanwhile, place raspberries in a medium bowl; add remaining 4 tablespoons sugar and gently toss to coat. Invert cakes onto eight individual plates.