Afternoon Blueberry Cake
This makes a simple but delicious blueberry cake with either fresh or frozen berries. It’s a favorite with my kids. In late summer, we sometimes gather wild blueberries – and the berries that don’t get gobbled up right away end up in the batter of one of these yummy cakes.
Have on hand:
Blueberries, fresh or frozen: any amount from ½ to 1 ½ cups
Mix together:
- 1/2 cup butter
- 1 1/2 cups sugar
- 3 eggs
Add and mix well:
- 2 cups flour
- 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
- pinch salt
- The batter will be stiff – a bit like cookie dough.
Now blend in:
2/3 cup milk or water (Tip: hot or boiling water works great. It activates the baking powder.)
Choose your baking pan or dish:
Round 9” cake pan or springform pan Batter will be deep – test carefully for doneness in the center of the cake.
Rectangular 9”x13” pan Batter is not as deep – easier to test for doneness.
A rectangular cake does not look as elegant as a round one, but the “visual-appeal” goes way up if you take this simple step: partition the cake in half, lift out the halves with a spatula, and place them on a pair of pretty serving plates.
Layer the blueberries and batter
First step – butter the pan. Then spread about half the batter in the pan.
Sprinkle on the fresh or frozen blueberries. Finally, spread on the remainder of the batter.
It doesn’t matter if the some of the blueberries aren’t completely covered. The cake will look even better with some berries peeking through.
(You can also mix the berries directly into the batter instead of layering. The resulting cake will be darker with bluish streaks. But you may want a dramatic, darker look. If so, try this method.)
Bake at 350 F – see times below
Note: Just as you might have guessed, a cake made with frozen blueberries will take longer to bake than one made with fresh berries. Refer to the longer times below.
9” round pans – from about 30 minutes (if you added fresh berries) to 50 minutes (if you added a lot of frozen berries)…. test carefully for doneness in the center because the batter is fairly deep. And be extra careful if using frozen berries because they chill the batter to begin with.
9”x13” pan – 25-35 minutes
Optional lemon glaze – you can make this while cake is baking. Don’t forget to start your tea preparations too! Just writing this makes me feel like I have to start a pot myself…
Mix into a thin paste:
About 1 cup powdered sugar and 2 Tbs. lemon juice, freshly squeezed or bottled
Remove baked cake from pan, place on serving plate to cool, and spread glaze across the top, letting it drip down sides. It’s OK to glaze the cake while it’s still hot.
Now for the fun part…
This cake looks great on a pretty and traditional china plate, or on modern handmade pottery.
Serve with tea and enjoy!
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