Berry Bundt Cake with Blue Berry Chocolate Sauce and Strawberries

Ingredients

• 2 1/2 cups sifted flour
• 3/4 cup buttermilk
• 1 cup fresh or frozen blueberries
• 1/2 cup dried cranberries
• 1/2 pint of strawberries, sliced (reserve)
• 1 3/4 cups sugar
• 3 large eggs
• 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• Zest of 1 lemon
• 2 Tablespoons of flour
• 1 teaspoon of table salt

Directions for cake
Preheat oven to 350°F.
Generously grease a 10-cup Bundt pan, either with butter or a non stick spray. Set aside.In a medium bowl, sift 2 1/2 cups flour , baking powder and salt together and set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, cream together the butter, sugar and lemon zest for about 3 to 5 minutes. Then, with the mixer on a low-speed, add your eggs one at a time, scraping down the bowl between each addition. Beat in vanilla, briefly. Add 1/3 flour mixture to batter, beating until just combined, followed by half the buttermilk, another 1/3 of the flour mixture, the remaining buttermilk and remaining flour mixture. Scrape down from time to time and don’t mix any more than you need.

You will now want to use the 2 tablespoons of flour to toss your berries in a large bowl, that will prevent them from sinking to the bottom of your cake.With a rubber spatula, gently fold the in cranberries and blueberries except for 1/4 reserved into the cake batter.The batter will be very thick, do not be alarmed if you crush a few berries it just adds more flavor. Add cake batter to Bundt pan , by placing large dollops in pan. Keep in mind it is very thick so you may need to smooth batter out a bit. Bake for 50-55 minutes or till done (using clean toothpick method check to be sure cake is done.) You will want to cool your cake in the Bundt pan, on metal rack for about 35-40 minutes before trying to remove it. Once cool remove from pan. Place on cake serving dish.

Ingredients for Chocolate Berry Sauce

• 1 cup heavy cream
• 1/4 cup blueberries
• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
• 1/2 pound semi sweet chocolate, chopped in chunks
• sliced almonds for garnish

Directions for sauce
Heat the cream and butter in a saucepan over low-medium heat. Add the chocolate, stirring, until it’s melted and smooth. Once smooth add berries and remove from heat to cool slightly.

To assemble cake
carefully drizzle chocolate sauce on cake, arrange strawberry slices around cake,and garnish with almond slices. Optional : add chocolate shavings.