It’s Labor Day weekend, and I’ve had a very relaxing weekend thus far. I’m always so thankful for any extra time off to spend with family and friends, and I’m actually planning to be off the entire week ahead to spend some time with the hubs’ extended family in a cabin in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee.
It’ll be our first trip where we spend time in a cabin in the mountains, and there are expected to be 40+ members of the family staying in one very large cabin for a few days, so it’s certain to be a fun yet interesting time. Be sure to stay tuned to my Instagram stories as I share bits of the trip experience in real-time.
But for today, I wanted to share a quick and easy cake in honor of the American Labor movement that resulted in not only a day off but “less work for more pay”. In case you didn’t know, Labor Day is really about the efforts of labor union leaders who fought to reduce work hours from 12 hour days, seven days per week with low wages to the 40-hour work week and minimum wage requirements we’re familiar with today. I often feel like we need another movement to reduce work hours further since we tend to spend more time with coworkers than we do with our family. But, I digress.
My hope is that you and your family were able to partake in a day off and that you’ve been enjoying some good food during these last days of summer. Since I’m sure you’ll be cooking out tomorrow, be sure to add this quick and easy dessert to the menu.
P.S. Pin this cake for your next President’s Day, Memorial Day, July 4th event as well!
Ingredients
For the Cake:
- 1 1/2 cups flour
- 3/4 cups sugar
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 2 eggs
- 1/3 cup butter
- 1/2 cup buttermilk
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
For the Topping:
- Whipped cream
- Strawberries, sliced
- Blueberries, poached
Directions
Preheat the oven to 30 degrees F. Butter/spray a 9×13 inch baking dish with cooking spray. I
In a bowl mix the butter with the sugar until fluffy (around 2 minutes). Add the eggs, vanilla and baking powder. Incorporate the flour and buttermilk and mix until everything is incorporated and the batter is smooth. Pour the batter into the baking dish, bake 20 to 25 minutes, until the top is lightly browned and the cake is baked through (use toothpick test). Remove and let cool completely before adding whipped topping.
For the topping, I used homemade whipped cream. To make it just use whipping cream chilled overnight and then whip it up on high speed until fluffy. Homemade whipped cream is more stable than the one from the can so I highly advise making it at home. Spread the whipped cream on the top of the cake until you have a thick layer.
For the decorations, I used fresh raspberries and poached blueberries. I find that blueberries are way more flavorful when slightly cooked. To poach them just place them in a pan over medium heat until the juices start flowing. Then just remove them from heat and wait for them to cool completely. Add the blueberries to the top left corner of the cake. Form red stripes with the sliced strawberries.
Serve chilled and enjoy!
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As always, Live Fully
