Now that farm season is in full swing, atleast in New England, there are great opportunities for strawberries, zucchini, summer squash, tomatoes, raspberries and soon blueberries. As you enter the supermarkets, there are plenty of blueberries to be had...locally we will be able to pick our own in about a month. So, now is the time to test some amazing blueberry recipes which you can enjoy for the remainder of the summer.
The Boston Globe recently ran an article on 6 delicious blueberry cakes. After reading the ingredients of each, I decided to go with the Glazed Blueberry Cake. Why this recipe? First, it had a lemon glaze for the cake. I love when blueberries and lemons are showcased in a dessert. It gives a refreshing flavor to the dish. Second, I had a container of buttermilk which I wanted to use and the recipe called for milk. Perfect substitution.
The cake came together quickly and I was really intrigued by the separation of egg yolks and egg whites. I was wondering if it would make a difference in the lightness of the cake, especially if I was adding buttermilk which can be heavy.
Well, the results were delicious. The cake was very moist and even though there was a denseness to the cake, it was light. Jeff thought it was one of the best cakes he has ever eaten. The sweet and sourness of the glaze with the moist cake with flavors of buttermilk and fresh blueberries was melt in your mouth AMAZING! Because it is made in a 9 x 13 baking pan, it allowed for everyone to grab chunks of blueberry cake for breakfast all week long. This is definitely on my short list of recipes to make again. It is perfect for breakfast, snack time or dessert, but I enjoyed it best when it was still warm from the oven. Probably might taste good as a cupcake, too...just a suggestion.
Ingredients:
1 pint (2 cups) of fresh blueberries
3 cups of flour
2 teaspoons of baking powder
1/2 teaspoon of salt
2 eggs, separated
1/2 cup (1 stick) of butter, at room temperature
2 cups of white sugar
1 cup of whole milk (we used buttermilk)
Preparation:
Set the oven at 350 degrees. Butter a 9-by-13-inch baking pan. Dust it with flour, tapping out the excess.
In a bowl, toss the blueberries with 1 tablespoon of the flour.
In another bowl, whisk the remaining flour, baking powder, and salt.
In a third bowl, whisk the egg whites until stiff.
In an electric mixer, cream the butter and sugar. Beat in the yolks, one at a time.
With the mixer set on its lowest speed, beat the flour mixture into the batter alternately with the milk, beginning and ending with flour.
Remove the bowl from the mixer stand. Fold in the whites, then fold in the blueberries.
Bake the cake for 40 to 45 minutes or until it pulls away from the sides of the pan and the top springs back when pressed with a fingertip.
GLAZE
1/2 cup of confectioners’ sugar
1 tablespoon of fresh lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon grated lemon rind
In a bowl, sift the confectioners’ sugar. Stir in the lemon juice and rind. Add enough additional lemon juice to make a mixture that pours easily.
Drizzle the glaze over the cake.