Blueberry Surprise Cake
Source: Maida Heatter's Cakes (Andrews & McMeel Publishing, 2011 ed.), pg. 198.
I have been trying for years to grow blueberries at my mother's house but apparently they don't like the soil there. They produce a few berries but the bushes just do not seem to want to grow. Fortunately, I have friends who give me blueberries! I received 2 bags of frozen berries recently and checked Maida's book to see what I could make with them. I decided to try this cake and it was so good! Not too sweet, very reminiscent of a coffee cake. It is a recipe that I will be doing again for sure.
Blueberry Filling
1 cup fresh blueberries
3 TBS. granulated sugar
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
1 tsp. lemon juice (before squeezing the juice, zest the lemon and reserve it for the cake)
Cake
2 cups sifted all-purpose flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
8 oz. (2 sticks) unsalted butter
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 1/3 cups granulated sugar
2 eggs
1 cup sour cream
Finely grated rind of 1 lemon (reserved from the filling)
1/3 cup toasted pecans, cut into medium-sized pieces
 |
| First, prepare the blueberry "surprise" (the filling) by combining the sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg. Lightly toss the berries and let them stand. I added a bit of flour to mine in case they wanted to sink to the bottom of the cake. |
To make the cake:
Preheat the oven to 350. Butter a 9x3 springform pan and dust it with fine breadcrumbs. Set aside.
Sift together the flour, baking powder and salt and set aside.
 |
| Beat the butter until soft and add the vanilla and sugar. Add the eggs, one at a time, until incorporated. |
 |
| Add the sour cream and beat only until incorporated (scrape the sides of the bowl to mix it well). |
 |
| On low speed, add the flour mixture and beat until smooth. |
 |
| Remove the bowl from the mixer and stir in the grated lemon zest. |
 |
| Add half of the mixture to the pan and smooth it out. |
 |
| Now add the blueberries over the top leaving them about 1 1/2 inches away from the sides of the pan. |
 |
| Add the pecans to the remaining batter and mix well. |
 |
| Now add the remaining batter on top of the blueberries and spread it until smooth. |
 | |
| Bake for 60 - 70 minutes until the cake springs back when lightly pressed with your fingertip. Let the cake stand for about 15 minutes while you prepare the glaze. |
Glaze
1 cup confectioner's sugar
1 TBS. lemon juice
A few drops boiling water
Whisk the sugar and lemon juice and a few drops of boiling water to make it semi-liquid. The mixture should be thick and barely thin enough to pour.
Release the cake from the springform pan and turn it out onto a baking rack. Drizzle the glaze over the cake and let it run down the sides. (Place a piece of parchment or wax paper underneath to avoid a mess).
