Blueberry Cake

A couple of weeks ago, the Boston Globe G magazine had several pages of blueberry recipes, each presented as something new to the culinary world. Well, as we all know, there really isn't much of anything new in the recipe world. Oh, yes, there are those who "de-construct" or introduce the world of chemistry to their kitchen efforts, but what I'm thinking about is the more basic recipies. Sure enough, two weeks later, the Boston Globe G magazine reminded us of the "Confidential Chat" column which many of us remember fondly, and darn if one of those "new" blueberry receipes wasn't right out of "Cakes and Cookies" kitchen!

So, here's the Blueberry Cake with Streusel Topping receipe which I made (at family's request) for the third time this morning.

TOPPING
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup flour
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) cold butter, cut up

In a bowl, combine the sugar, flour, cinnamon, and butter. Work the mixture with your fingertips until well blended; refrigerate.

CAKE
Butter (for the pan)
Flour (For the pan)
1 pint (2 cups) fresh blueberries, picked over
2 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter, at room temperature
3/4 cup sugar
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup whole milk, at room temperature

1. Set the oven at 375 degrees. Butter an 8-inch-square metal baking pan. Dust the pan with flour, tapping out the excess.

2. In a bowl, toss the blueberries with 1 tablespoon of the flour.

3. In another bowl, whisk the remaining flour, baking powder, and salt to blend them.

4. In an electric mixer, cream the butter and sugar until soft and light. Beat in the egg and vanilla until soft and light. With the mixer set to its lowest speed, blend in the flour mixture alternately with the milk, beginning and ending with flour.

5. Remove the bowl from the mixer stand. With a rubber spatula, fold in blueberries. Transfer the batter to the pan and smooth the top. Sprinkle the topping over the cake.

6. Bake the cake for 40 to 45 minutes or until the top is brown.

My modifications: I do not have a stand mixer, so I carefully planned out and used the four sizes of my trusty Pyrex mixing bowls with my hand mixer. For the ingredients, I used 1% milk instead of whole. I used an eight-inch-glass baking dish and reduced the oven temperature to 350 degrees and baked for 42 minutes.

And in the background of some of the pictures, you'll see something that makes me smile every time I cook and use it: My mother's FireKing measuring cup.

Posting recipies is something new for me.  I'm what I would label a "plain" cook--nothing fancy, nothing too challenging.  So with a nod to those who are much better cooks and infinitely better bloggers than I, thank you for the inspiration for this post.

Visit Letters from a Hill Farm and see the recipe for Blueberry/Cranberry Muffins here or visit Lesley's Kiss the Cook blog and check out the Berry Best Bran Muffins recipe here.