There’s no better time for sweet, seasonal berries than mid-summer. My family loves strawberry shortcakes — and so do I — but I decided to give that classic a twist. Behold the Strawberry-Raspberry Shortcake-style Cake.

While a shortcake is more like a biscuit and a cake is, well, a cake, this recipe is a blend of the two — a bit denser than a cake but lighter than a biscuit.

I combined strawberries with raspberries, but blueberries or blackberries are delicious options, too. Tossing them with sugar allows them to soften and release the juices a bit before cooking.

As in a traditional cake, the butter and sugar are beaten on high to aerate the batter before the remaining wet ingredients are added, followed by the dry ingredients. After that, you don’t want to beat the batter too much or the cake will become tough.

You’ll know the cake is done, when a knife inserted into the center comes out clean and you can see the berries’ juices bubbling. Serve the cake with whipped cream or your favorite ice cream.

Strawberry Raspberry Shortcake-style Cake

Serves 8

Fruit:

1 pound strawberries, hulled and cut into quarters

6 ounces raspberries

2 tablespoons granulated sugar

Cake batter:

2 cups all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon kosher salt

8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter

½ cup granulated sugar

1 egg

½ cup milk

½ cup heavy cream

2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

Directions

Mix the berries with 2 tablespoons sugar. Set aside.

Heat your oven to 375 degrees. Butter a 9-inch springform pan.

In a bowl, mix together the flour, baking powder and salt.

Using an electric mixer, beat the butter and ½ cup sugar on high speed for 3 minutes until light and fluffy (scrape down sides if necessary). Add the egg, milk, cream and vanilla and mix for 1 minute more. The batter may look curdled, but that is OK.

Add the dry ingredients and mix until just blended, scraping down the sides of the bowl.

Spoon the batter into the buttered cake pan and level the batter. Sprinkle the cut fruit on top and even out.

Bake for one hour or until a skewer or knife inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Let cool for 30 minutes before serving.

Bibby Gignilliat is the founder of Parties That Cook, a San Francisco-based culinary event company; www.PartiesThatCook.com.