Buttermilk Pudding Cakes with Sugared Raspberries

Doug and I had a little competition "of sorts". We each made a cake and the kids did the judging. This was my entry, and although Doug won (his amazing Banana Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting is coming soon) this was amazingly delicious. I would say that I at least provided very stiff competition. :) You have to include the raspberries! (I want to know who came up with the spelling on that word. They should be horse-whipped.) I found my recipe on mouthfromthesouth.com.

Buttermilk Pudding Cakes with Sugared Raspberries
Adapted from The Lee Bros. Simple Fresh Southern Knockout Dishes with Down-home Flavor
Makes 8 cakes

Buttermilk Pudding Cakes:
3/4 cup sifted all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
2 large eggs
3/4 cup buttermilk
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/3 cup sugar
4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) butter, melted and cooled to room temperature

Sugared Raspberries:
8 ounces (2 cups) raspberries
1/4 cup sugar
Whipped cream (optional)

1)Heat the oven to 425 degrees with the rack positioned in the upper third of the oven. If you don’t have a nonstick muffin pan, grease the cups with butter and dust with flour. Set pan aside.
2) Sift the flour with the baking powder into a medium bowl. In a large bowl, whisk the eggs until they’re creamy and yellow. Then whisk in the buttermilk, vanilla, sugar and butter. Batter will look curdled – this is ok. Add the flour mixture and whisk until the batter is combined and smooth.
3) Divide the batter among 8 standard-size muffin-pan cups, filling them two-thirds full. Bake for 9 minutes (We needed to bake for 11.5 minutes). Check the cakes by inserting a knife between the rim of the cake and the muffin cup so you expose the side of the cake. If the side of the cake appears evenly browned, the cakes will hold together when inverted and are done baking. If not, bake for another minute and check again. Invert onto individual small plates.
4)While the cakes bake, place the raspberries in a bowl. Sprinkle them with the 1/4 cup sugar and gently toss them with your hands so that all the berries are lightly dusted in sugar.
5)Top each cake with whipped cream (if using) and berries. Serve.