As we get older doesn't life seem to get much more complicated? We tend to take a lot things for granted and forget the small joys in life. For example, the other day I was at the doctor's office and I had to go on the elevator. I stepped in and stood by the control panel and was shortly joined by a young boy and his father. I could see the little boy eyeing the elevator buttons and it was obviously taking every ounce of his self-control not to reach in front of me and push all the buttons. So I leaned over and asked, "Would you mind helping me? I'm headed to floor number 2." His eyes lit up with pure delight and he immediately pushed button #2 along with the floor that he and his dad were going to. It was such a small gesture, nothing really...but I could tell I had made his day. As I stepped off the elevator, I looked back to see him grinning from ear to ear. Seeing that mile wide smile on his face reminded me of the things we take for granted as adults. We tend to overlook the things in our day to day life that brought us so much joy as children- like playing in the sprinklers, staying up late or going to the park...and yes, pushing the buttons in an elevator. As kids, we would also look forward to the first fruits of a season- that initial bite of sweet summertime watermelon or sinking our teeth into a juicy ripe peach. Inspired by my interaction in the elevator, I decided to stop on the way home and buy some fresh blackberries. My first of the season. As I got out my ingredients to bake this cake, I popped a few berries in my mouth and savored the intense flavors of tart and sweet...and for a moment or two, life seemed simple.
Note: This cake is based on a recipe for Blueberry-yogurt cake from Sunset Magazine. If you don't like seeds in your cake, you may want to strain them out before adding the blackberries into your cake mix. If you're like me and they don't bother you, you can toss the berries into the mix whole.
Ingredients
Instructions
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. In Bowl #1, cream your butter and sugar until it's nice and fluffy. Then add your vanilla and eggs. Beat well.
3. In Bowl #2, sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Add it to the ingredients of Bowl #1. Then add your yogurt. Stir thoroughly.
4. Add in your blackberries and mix gently.
5. In Bowl #3, mix together the brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and walnuts.
6. Place 1/2 of the cake batter in a butter and floured pan (the recipe says to use an 8-inch square pan but I used a 10-inch baking dish since that's what I had on hand), then top with 1/2 of Bowl #3's contents.
7. Add the rest of the cake batter to the pan.
8. Mix the remaining brown sugar mixture in Bowl #3 with 2 tablespoons of butter and sprinkle this over the top of the batter.
9. Bake for about 45 minutes or until a knife slid in the center comes out goop-free.
10. Serve warm- sliced out of the pan or in individual serving dishes (I used ramekins).
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