My mom has berries ripening all over her yard as we speak. Anyone else jealous? Right now she has cups and cups of black raspberries, and she’s at that point where she no longer wants them. So they end up at my house.

When you buy a house, plant berries. That’s an order. If you don’t like them, you may deliver them to me pronto. Year after year you’ll be rewarded with the BEST berries you’ve ever had. Just make sure you apply a gallon of bug spray before you go picking.

 I must know. What’s your favorite summer produce? What’s your favorite way to eat it?

This black raspberry lemon upside down cake came with me to my in-laws this evening. I must say it was pretty darn good with a huge scoop of vanilla frozen yogurt. I’m attempting to be more experimentational with recipes, so my version of this cake uses honey. Did you know that eating local honey helps with seasonal allergies? That’s right, bees are the answer to your sneeze. Feed it to me by the truckload please. Anyone else?

This would work great as breakfast too. Likely without the ice cream, but I’m not one to judge if you choose to go that route. My mom puts frosting on her english muffins. I’ve seen it all.

Of course I had to test a little before I left…

Black Raspberry Upside Down Cake

 many thanks to serious eats for the original recipe.

3 cups black raspberries (or any other fruit for that matter)

1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon sugar

1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon honey (or additional sugar)

1 cupe all-purpose flour

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

4 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened

1 large egg, as close as room temperature as you have time for

1 1/2 tsp vanilla

3 drops lemon oil OR 1/2 tsp lemon extract OR enough lemon zest to make it lemony

1/2 cup buttermilk

vanilla ice cream, for sure

Put a rack in the middle of oven and preheat oven to 350°F. Butter cake pan and line bottom with parchment paper, then butter the top piece of parchment.

Put black raspberries into the pan, add a tablespoon of sugar and a tablespoon of honey and mix. Cover the bottom of the pan as best as you can.

Whisk together flour, baking soda, and salt in a bowl.

Beat together the butter and remaining 1/4 cup sugar and 1/4 cup honey in a large bowl with an electric mixer at high speed until pale and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add egg, vanilla, and lemon and mix at low speed until just incorporated. Add flour mixture and buttermilk alternately in 3 batches, scraping down sides of the bowl between batches, until just incorporated.

Spoon the batter evenly over the berries, smoothing top. Bake until top is golden and a wooden toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, 35 to 40 minutes. Cool cake in pan for 5 minutes.

Run a knife around sides of pan; invert a large plate over the pan, and, using pot holders to hold plate and pan tightly together, flip cake onto plate. Peel off parchment and serve cake with ice cream.

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