Blueberry-Brown Sugar Plain Cake

If you have this book of Dorie's BFMHTY, go make this cake, if you do not own one, you can still make this! This cake is exactly the kind of cake I love. It is so tender, buttery, soft, moist and bursting with blueberry. Downright yummy! Dorie recommended the baking pan size of 11x7 inch, which I think is too big. I use a 8x8" pan and it turned out perfect. I only use 3/4 cup brown sugar, but I think that the original of 1 cup would be OK too, it is not overly sweet, and absolutely delicious! I omit the cinnamon and add 1 teaspoon vanilla extract instead. Another winning recipe from Dorie!

I'm linking this to :
Potluck Sunday at Mommy's Kitchen
Full Plate Thursday at Miz Helen's Country Cottage

Blueberry-Brown Sugar Plain Cake
(adapted from "Baking From My Home To Yours" by Dorie Greenspan)
This "plain cake" - no crumbs, streusel, nuts, icing or filling - is just plain appealing. It's got a soft crumb, a strong streak of caramel brown sugar flavor and the here-and-there surprise of sweet and tart berries. It's a perfect "daylight" cake, good for breakfast, brunch or lunch, and it can easily be a picnic cake, because it's eminently packable.
Ingredients :
1-1/3 cups all-purpose flour
2 teasponns baking powder
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon (optional) (I omit this, and add 1 tsp vanilla extract)
1/8 teaspoon plus a pinch of salt
2 large eggs, separated
1 stick (8 tablespoons) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup (packed) light brown sugar
1/2 cup whole milk
1 pint blueberries - fresh, preferably, or frozen (not thawed)
confectioners sugar, for dusting

Getting Ready :
Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Generously butter an 11x7 inch baking pan (a Pyrex pan is great) and place it on a baking sheet.

Whisk together the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, if you're using it, and the 1/8 teaspoon salt.

Working with a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachement or with a hand mixer in a large bowl, beat the egg whites with the pinch of salt until they form firm, glossy peaks. Gently scrape the whites into a clean bowl if using a stand mixer. Fit the mixer with the paddle attachment, if you have one. (There's no need to clean the mixer bowl). Put the butter and sugar in the mixer bowl, or in another large bowl if using a hand mixer, and beat on medium speed until creamy. Add the egg yolks and beat 2 minutes more. Reduce the mixer speed to low and add half the dry ingredients, then all of the milk and then the remainder of the dry ingredients, adding each new batch as soon as the previous batch has been incorporated.

Switch to a large rubber spatula and lighten the batter by stirring in about one quarter of the stiffly beaten egg whites. Fold in the rest of the whites, working as gently as you can. Since the cake batter is heavy, it's only natural you'll deflate the whites a little - don't be concerned. Still working with as light a hand as possible, fold in the blueberries, and scrape the batter into the prepared pan.

Bake the cake for 35 to 40 minutes, or until it is golden and a thin knife inserted into the center comes out clean. Transfer the cake to a cooling rack and cool in the pan for about 30 minutes before dusting the top with confectioners' sugar and serving warm.

Serving : Once the cake is cool enough to cut, it's cool enough to eat. Give the top another dusting of confectioners' sugar if the first one has settled into the cake, and cut the cake into squares about 2 inches on a side. I like the cake plain, but if you're looking for an accompaniment, look at blueberry jam or a bowl of lightly sweetened sour cream or creme fraiche.

Storing : Well covered, the cake will keep at room temperature for about 3 days. You can wrap the cake airtight and freeze it for up to 2 months, but it really is best fresh.