Happy Father's Day and Blueberry Cake

It's Father's Day and I'm pleased to share this simple blueberry cake with you today. It comes from Southern Cakes by Nancie McDermott and was chosen by The Cake Slice Bakers for the month of June. It's a delicious, light and buttery snack cake studded with plump blueberries and perfect for Summer or that special Dad in your life.

I have to be honest and say that the cakes in this book have been hit or miss for me. Just about every other cake recipe from this book is a good one and it just so happens that this choice is a favorite. Yay! Here is a run down of the cakes that I've made from this book:

• Pear Bread (spicy, moist and flavorful)
• Cinnamon Pecan Coffee Cake (good flavor, a little dry)
• Burnt Sugar Cake (too sweet frosting, dense, good flavor)
• Red Velvet Cake (good moist cake, used a different frosting)
• Mississippi Mud Cake (too sweet, dry cake, okay flavor)
• Pineapple Upside Down Cake (good flavor, gummy texture)
• Banana Cake (moist cake, inconsistent frosting)
• Blueberry Cake (lightly sweet, simple and tasty)

Back to this cake. As I mentioned this cake was a success, but that may be because I'm partial to blueberries. I always have blueberries on hand- either fresh in the fridge or marble-like bagfuls in the freezer. Luckily this cake calls for unthawed frozen berries so I was in luck. The only tip I have to offer when making this cake is that once you add the frozen berries to the bowl and fold them in, the batter will seize up a bit, will get cold, thick and stiff. It was almost impossible to spread the batter into the pan without mutilating the berries so I wet my hands and pressed the batter into the pan. This worked out very well.

This blueberry cake was buttery and tender, soft on the inside and a little crunchy on the top from the tablespoon of sugar I sprinkled on top. It baked in exactly 30 minutes and we had this along with bacon and eggs, orange juice and espresso for breakfast. I was tempted to add a little vanilla or orange/lemon zest to the batter but it didn't need it at all, in my opinion. It was like having a slice of blueberry muffin- go good. It was especially nice the next day warmed up a bit with a pat of butter melting into it. If blueberries aren't your thing, frozen raspberries, or blackberries or a combination of would be really nice.

Shenandoah Valley Blueberry Cake from Southern Cakes

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• 1 2/3 cups all purpose flour
• 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/3 cup butter, softened
• 3/4 cup plus 2 tbsp sugar* (see note)
• 1 egg
• 1/3 cup milk
• 1 cup fresh or frozen blueberries (do not thaw)

Heat the oven to 375F and generously grease a 9 inch square or round pan.

Combine the flour, baking powder and salt in a small bowl and stir with a fork to mix well. In a medium bowl, combine the butter and sugar and beat with a mixer at high speed until well combined. Add the egg and beat well for 1 to 2 minutes, stopping to scrape down the bowl until the mixture is smooth and light.

Stir in half the flour mixture then half the milk, mixing just enough to keep the batter fairly smooth and well combined. Add the remaining flour, then the rest of the milk, mixing gently. Stir in the blueberries.

Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and spread into corners (my batter was really thick so I wet my hands and pressed it into the pan). Bake at 375F for 30 minutes or until the cake is golden, springs back when touched gently in the centre and is pulling away from the sides of the pan.

Serve a square of cake right from the pan, warm or at room temperature. If its round, let the cake cool in the pan on a wire rack or folded kitchen towel for 10 minutes and then turn it out to cool, top side up.

NOTE: I reserved 1 Tablespoon of sugar and sprinkled it on top of the cake prior to baking.

For more blueberry cakes, visit the other Cake Slice Bakers!_______________________________________________

On another note, on this day, June 20, 2004, Mr. h and I were engaged. You can read more about it HERE if you'd like. I wish you all a wonderfully lazy Sunday. Happy Father's Day!