Baking Obsession

Maybe, this cake doesn’t have “the looks”, but it’s got everything else. I would even dare to say it is perfect – so tender, moist, with sweet buttery taste (with not that much butter inside). If you wish, you can split the cake horizontally in half and fill it with blackberry or raspberry jam. But, personally, I prefer it plain, with a cup of coffee – the best breakfast.

Makes one 9-inch square cake

Ingredients:

• 1 cup buckwheat flour
• 1 cup whole wheat pastry flour (or you can use all-purpose flour)
• 1½ tsp baking powder
• ½ tsp baking soda
• ½ tsp salt

• 1/3 cup milk, at room temperature
• 1 tsp pure vanilla extract

• 8 oz cream cheese, at room temperature
• ½ cup packed brown sugar
• ½ stick (4 tbsp) unsalted butter, at room temperature
• ¼ cup honey
• 2 large eggs, at room temperature

Preparation:

Center the oven rack and preheat the oven to 350F. Lightly spray a 9-inch square cake pan with oil and line with parchment paper.

Sift or whisk together the buckwheat, whole wheat flour, baking powder, soda, and salt. Set aside.

In a small bowl, combine the milk and vanilla extract. Set aside.

In a large bowl, beat the cream cheese and brown sugar with an electric mixer until smooth, creamy, and lump-free. Beat in the butter and continue mixing until the mixture is light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Beat in the honey and continue mixing for another 2 or 3 minutes. With the mixer on medium speed, add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Reduce the speed to low and add the dry ingredients in three additions alternating with the milk, starting and ending with the dry ingredients. Scrape the bowl as necessary, and beat only enough to incorporate the ingredients after each addition. Transfer the batter into the prepared pan, put the cake pan onto a baking sheet and slide into the oven. Bake until golden brown and a cake tester inserted into the center comes out clean, about 35 minutes. Cool in the pan on a rack for 10 minutes, then unmold and cool completely on the rack. Keep the cake under a cake dome, or wrapped in plastic, at room temperature. It stays moist and delicious for several days.