Serves 8 Recipe

Preheat and prepare pans

Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Lightly grease and flour a 9x13-inch baking dish or two 9-inch round cake pans. Set aside.

Combine dry ingredients

In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, granulated sugar, baking powder, and salt until evenly distributed.

Combine wet ingredients

In a separate bowl, whisk together the melted butter, whole milk, eggs, and vanilla extract until smooth and homogenous.

Mix wet into dry

Pour the wet mixture into the dry ingredients. Using a rubber spatula or wooden spoon, fold and stir until just combined — do not overmix. Scrape the bottom and sides of the bowl to incorporate all flour. The batter should be medium-thick and pourable; if too thick, add up to 2 tablespoons of milk.

Fold in optional berries

If using fresh berries, gently fold them into the batter until evenly distributed. Be careful not to crush them.

Transfer and bake

Pour the batter into the prepared pan(s) and smooth the top with a spatula. Bake in the preheated oven for 28–35 minutes for a 9x13 (or 25–30 minutes for 9-inch rounds), or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs.

Cool

Remove from the oven and set the pan on a wire rack. Let cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then turn out onto the rack (if using rounds) or cool completely in the 9x13 pan before cutting.

Once the cake has cooled to room temperature, dust the top lightly with powdered sugar and arrange any reserved fresh berries on top for garnish. Slice into 8 even pieces and serve.