Salt-kissed White Chocolate & Raspberry Cake

Salt-kissed White Chocolate & Raspberry Cake
Serves 10-12
The salt in the crust of the cake helps cut the sweetness and gives an extra depth of flavor. Don’t worry, you wont have a salty cake on your plate. The salt helps enhance the flavor of the berries and lemon in the cake. If you can’t find large grain salt you can substitute 1/4 teaspoon on flaked kosher salt or 1/4 teaspoon of fine table salt with the same results. The first time I made this cake I over did it with the salt and the results were slightly odd. After a few tries I found the right amount. If the salt scares you, just leave it out. On the other hand if you’re up to experimenting in the kitchen, give it a try, you’ll love it!

Cake:
2 1/2 cups whole wheat pastry flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 cup raw sugar (or brown sugar)
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
1 cup buttermilk
1/4 cup butter, melted and cooled
zest of 1 lemon
1/2 cup white chocolate chunks

Topping
3 tablespoons large grain raw sugar
1 teaspoon large grain salt
1 cup of raspberries

Preheat oven to 400F degrees, with racks in the middle. Grease and flour one 11-inch tart pan or pie plate.

Combine the flour, baking powder, white chocolate, sugar and salt in a large bowl. In a separate smaller bowl whisk together the eggs and the buttermilk, whisk in the melted butter, and the lemon zest. Pour the buttermilk mixture over the flour mixture and stir until just combined, being careful not to over mix. Batter should still show some traces of flour mixture.

Spoon the batter into the prepared pan, pushing out toward the edges. Now drop the berries across top, smushing them a bit between your fingers before letting them fall to the cake. In a small bowl combine large grain raw sugar and salt, stir to combine. Sprinkle sugar mixture over the top of the cake and berries.

Bake for about 25-30 minutes or until cake is set (or a toothpick in the center comes out clean), and a touch golden on top.