Step by step

Method

18 steps

1. 1

   Make cake: Preheat oven to 350°F.

2. 2

   Butter a 9×13-inch baking pan and line the bottom with a rectangle of parchment paper, then butter parchment. (Or, you can use a nonstick cooking spray instead of butter for speed and ease.)

3. 3

   Beat butter and sugar together in the bottom of a large bowl with an electric mixer until light and fluffy, at least 3 minutes.

4. 4

   Add eggs, one at a time, scraping down the bowl between each addition. Add vanilla extract.

5. 5

   Place flour, cornstarch (if using), baking powder, baking soda and table salt in a sifter or fine-mesh strainer and shake half of mixture into mixing bowl. (If this makes a huge mess, you can also do so onto a piece of waxed paper and use that to dump it into the mixing bowl.) Mix until just combined.

6. 6

   Add buttermilk and stir it in slowly, because it will splash easily.

7. 7

   The mixture might look curdled, but it will come together just fine in a moment.

8. 8

   Add remaining dry ingredients and mix until combined.

9. 9

   Pour batter in prepared pan and smooth top.

10. 10

    Bake until golden and a wooden pick inserted in center of cake comes out clean, [updated!] 30 to 35 minutes my initial notes said 35 minutes baking time, but early testers report it took 45 to 50, which, frankly, sounds a little closer to what I’d expect.

11. 11

    Please, check at 35 and if the cake is quite battery still, come back in 10 minutes to check again.

12. 12

    Don’t remove the cake until a tester inserted into the center comes out clean.

13. 13

    Once it does, transfer the cake to a rack to cool completely.

14. 14

    Make frosting Beat cream cheese and butter together until light and very fluffy, scraping down the sides to make sure no pesky cream cheese is left unmixed. Add the vanilla.

15. 15

    Add the first cup of powdered sugar, and beat it until combined. Add the second.

16. 16

    I prefer my cream cheese frostings less sweet, so I stopped there.

17. 17

    Because the frosting is just going to be a layer between the berries and cake, it doesn’t need to be terribly stiff, so you can get away with skipping the additional cup of sugar.

18. 18

    However, if yours still seems way too soft to use as frosting or not sweet enough, add the third cup of powdered sugar.