Boysenberry Sour Cream Pound Cake

Makes 1 loaf (8-10 slices)

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Nelly was singing about New Zealand supermarkets when he so poignantly said, it's getting hot in here. Don't get confused, a well-stocked New World is actually a chilled haven on a muggy summers day; and we are in the depths of autumn so of course it's not sweltering anywhere. No, Nelly my good man was singing about the insufferable sweat-fumes emanating from my pores. The price hikes in our supermarkets are crippling; I removed 'capsicum red x1' from my list mid-shop when I saw it would cost me over four dollars. F O U R stupid dollars for 1 capsicum. Absolute insanity.

So I decided to venture into the canned-goods aisle (a superb aisle, 10/10, must visit) for some inspiration. I am both heavily privileged and biased when it comes to food - in that I reserve most of my money for fresh produce. But if Ottolenghi taught us anything this pandemic, it was to explore the canned goods in the back of your pantry. I spotted a tin of boysenberries in syrup, and remembered the excess amount of sour cream in my fridge begging to be used up. So here we are.

After eating this cake, you will understand this next statement; the word moist almost felt tangible. It's an easy eat (which is dangerous when the eat involves butter and sour cream but we move anyway). I can't recommend this cake enough. Just like the canned-goods aisle, it's a 10/10.

Recipe

Ingredients

• 2/3 cup softened butter (150 grams)

• 1 cup sugar (200 grams)

• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste

• 4 eggs

• 2/3 cup sour cream (155 grams)

• 2 1/4 cups of flour (306 grams)

• Scant 1/2 teaspoon of baking soda¹

• 1/2 a can of boysenberries

• 1/3 cup of custard (optional)

• Icing sugar (for servingg)

• Mascarpone (for serving)

Method

1. Preheat your oven to 180c bake.

2. Cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy (about 4 minutes in a stand mixer using the paddle attachment). Add the vanilla in then add the eggs in one at a time, making sure to incorporate each one fully before adding the next one.

3. In a separate bowl whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt.

4. Add flour and sour cream in alternate batches, mixing until just combined and there is no more visible flour or sour cream.

5. Spray or butter a loaf pan then add the mixture in. Smooth out the top with a knife then place the boysenberries scattered on the top and use a chopstick or knife to swirl them through the cake.

6. Add a few blobs of custard onto the cake (if using) and swirl them through as well.

7. Bake the cake for 80 minutes. Check the cake at 60 minutes to see if the top is golden brown. If it is nice and golden, cover the cake with aluminium foil for the last 20 minutes of cooking to stop the top from burning. When a knife or a chopstick comes out clean the cake is ready.

8. Leave the cake to cool in the tin for 10 minutes then remove it from the tin and serve with a dusting of icing sugar, a spoonful of mascarpone, and a drizzle of the leftover boysenberry syrup.

9. Enjoy!

Notes:

1. A scant 1/2 teaspoon means just shy of half a teaspoon. So I use about 2/3rds of a 1/2 teaspoon measurement. Don't freak out if you use slightly more or less than that, it'll be in the right range for your cake to have the proper amount of rise!

Stay Salty,

Romy xx