Blueberry Cake

Blueberry Cake is a real treat to have during the cold winter months.  Don likes to pick blueberries in late summer before he goes back to work.  I like to pick them too, but I really love when he picks them.  He's much faster than I am, picking about three berries for each one I manage to get into my bucket.  We have several large freezer bags full of the dark blue gems just waiting to be made into smoothies, pancakes, pies and cakes. 

Last week, I was asked to bake a few things for a church service where refreshments would be served following the program.  I decided to make this Blueberry Cake recipe that I've had in my box for about 35 years.  It's my go-to recipe as it's not too complicated and comes together fast.  My friend Pat gave me this recipe when she babysat my oldest son.  He wasn't even a year old at the time.  How time flies!

I made the cake in my very long loaf pan for easy cutting and serving and it just fit and baked perfectly.  I usually make it in an 8-or 9-inch square pan and cut it in squares but I was quite pleased how it baked in the longer pan.  The slices plated neatly for serving.  I also added lemon extract to the recipe which adds another layer of flavour.  I didn't have any lemons or else I would have added the grated zest as well.  

So, if you want a reminder of summer past and summer to come, try baking a blueberry cake.  

Blueberry Cake
¼ cup butter
1 ½ cups sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
½ teaspoon pure lemon extract
2 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
¾ cup milk
1 ½ cups blueberries

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Grease (and line with parchment if you wish) an 8-or 9-inch square pan.

Cream the butter and sugar together.  Beat in the egg, vanilla and lemon extract.  

Sift or mix together the flour, baking powder and salt. Remove 2 tablespoons of the flour mixture and mix with the blueberries.  Add the remaining dry ingredients to the creamed butter mixture, alternately with the milk.  Fold in the floured blueberries.  

Pour into the prepared pan and bake 45 minutes in a 350 degree oven or until tester comes out clean.  Cool and serve from pan.  Alternately, the cake can be removed from pan and left plain or frosted with a lemon glaze or cream cheese frosting.  Store cake in a covered container.  

This cake can also do double duty and be served warm as a pudding with a lemon sauce drizzled over top. 

Cream the butter, sugar, egg and extracts together.

 Add the dry ingredients to the creamed mixture alternately with the milk.  

Start and end with the flour.

Fresh or frozen berries can be used in this recipe.  Although many recipes recommend thawing and draining the frozen berries, I just use them frozen.  I think it's a shame to lose all that juice.

Fold the floured berries into the finished batter.  You will see some bluish streaking of the batter when using frozen berries but that won't affect the finished product.  You probably won't even notice any blue coloured cake after it's baked.

The blue streaking is noticeable in the unbaked cake. 

You can see how long this loaf pan is. 

Baked to perfection.

A nice reminder that winter will not last forever.