Blueberry Boy Bait

The weather outside right now is pretty bleak and the rain is an intermittent heavy shower.  It is days like this that makes me want to leave the office, go home and put on my comfy sweats and bake a simple dessert with my little girl.

I made this dessert a couple of months ago when the weather was also very gloomy and I had a stockpile of frozen blueberries that I needed to use.  I wanted to do something I had never made before, but I wanted it to be very easy and comforting.  I searched the web and happened upon this recipe from Smitten Kitchen who adapted it from Cook's Country (aka: American's Test Kitchen). 

The folks at America’s Test Kitchen re-created the version they found in The Pillsbury's Bake Off Dessert Cookbook, circa 1954.  The recipe was created by a 15-year-old girl who won second prize in the junior division with a moist and tender blueberry cake that was named after the effect it had on teenage boys--one bite and they were hooked.  The original version used shortening and all granulated sugar.  ATK decided to replace the shortening with butter and light brown sugar for some of the granulated. 

The adjustments produced a buttery cake with a hint of warmness from the brown sugar.  I felt like I was transported back to my Grandmother’s house in Thornton, CA.  She lived in a small house near the delta with a country like kitchen.  I had fond memories of playing in the yard surrounded by her rose bushes, and feeling like I was taken back in time when most of the area was farm-land.  Ah, the good ‘ole days.

This cake can be used with either fresh or frozen blueberries.  ATK recommends that if you using frozen berries, that you do not defrost the berries before adding to the batter.  Juices from the berries will change the color of your batter.  I made two additions to this recipe: 1) I added more blueberries to the batter and 2) decided to dust the blueberries for the topping in one tbsp of flour to prevent them from sinking to the bottom as the cake cooks.

Enjoy! 

 Blueberry Boy Bait Cake (via Smitten Kitchen)

Serves 12...or two hungry adults and one growing 4 year-old:-)

2 cups plus 1 teaspoon all-purpose flour (separated)
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon sea salt
16 tablespoons unsalted butter (2 sticks), softened
3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
3 large eggs
1 cup whole milk (Smitten Kitchen used buttermilk and said it worked just great)
1 cup blueberries, fresh or frozen (original recipe used only 1/2 cup)

Topping
1/2 cup blueberries, fresh or frozen (do not defrost)
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 tbsp flour

Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour 13 by 9-inch baking pan and cover the bottom with parchment paper.

For the cake....Whisk two cups flour, baking powder, and salt together in medium bowl. With electric mixer, beat butter and sugars on medium-high speed until fluffy, about two minutes. Add eggs, one at a time, beating until incorporated - scrape the bowl and continue. Reduce speed to medium and beat in one-third of flour mixture until incorporated; beat in half of milk. Beat in half of remaining flour mixture, then remaining milk, and finally remaining flour mixture. Toss blueberries with remaining one teaspoon flour. Using rubber spatula, gently fold in blueberries. Spread batter into prepared pan.

Creaming/Dry added/Coating the blueberries

Topping...Gently toss the blueberries in tbsp flour.  Scatter the blueberries over top of batter. Stir sugar and cinnamon together in small bowl and sprinkle over batter.

Getting ready for the oven!

Bake until toothpick inserted in center of cake comes out clean, 45 to 50 minutes. Cool in pan for 20 to 30 minutes.  Using a offset spatula or knife, loosen the cake from the edges of the pan, then turn out on the underside of baking sheet, remove the parchment paper, and then flip onto serving platter so that the top is now facing up. Serve warm or at room temperature. Cake can be stored in airtight container at room temperature up to 3 days.

The bait cooling.

Posted by Lori.