Sunday, January 9, 2011

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.

19 comments:

  1. Te han quedado muy lindos y ricos los blueberrys ,me encantan ,una receta muy fina ,mis deseos para año 2011,estén llenos de bendiciones y vibras positivas,abrazos y cariños,me quedo en tu blog ,nos vemos .

    ReplyDelete
  2. What a gorgeous cake! It's loaded down with blueberries that I just love. I can see why you call it a daylight cake - I could eat it all day!

    ReplyDelete
  3. I love how you've described this cake "bursting with blueberries." That sounds so delicious and eatable.

    ReplyDelete
  4. must be quite yummy.. love blueberries.. like the texture of the cake..

    ReplyDelete
  5. The cake looks super moist and so blueberry!

    ReplyDelete
  6. Joy, I remember eyeing this cake when I got that book for my birthday. It's actually on my list of recipes to make. I'm going to make the Swedish Visiting Cake today which I first saw on your blog many months ago. :o) Thank you so much for submitting another recipe to Cookbook Sundays. Have a great day!

    ReplyDelete
  7. thanks for sharing this recipe from the book..i dont have this book..looks really moist and soft too!

    ReplyDelete
  8. The cake looks so moist and blueberrish! I have been eyeing this book, thanks for sharing it!

    ReplyDelete
  9. Soo tempting and super delicious cake..

    ReplyDelete
  10. I love how your cake is just bursting with blueberries. Looks like the recipe was a big success.

    ReplyDelete
  11. I'm not sure if Plain is the right way to describe this, looks so luscious :)

    ReplyDelete
  12. Hi Rosita,
    Thank you for visiting and for following my blog. Happy New Year to you too! This is a lovely blueberry cake and I hope that you will give it a try someday. Hope to see you again. Have a lovely week!

    Hi Reeni,
    Yes, Dorie calls it the daylight cake. You can eat anytime of the day as and when you want to, it is just plain yummy!

    Hi Brittany,
    It does describe the cake very well! Really full of blueberries in every bite!

    Hi Kitchen Boffin,
    Yes, this is really yummy!

    Hi Angie,
    Thank you. This cake is really moist.

    Hi Brenda,
    Yes, we have too many bookmarked recipes! This is a definite one which you must try! It is fun linking to Cookbook Sunday.

    Hi lena,
    This is a good recipe from a really good book. I really love this book. Have made a few recipes with satisfied results.

    Hi Victor,
    Well, eye this book no more! Go get it! Thank you for visiting and following my blog. Nice to see you. Likewise, I've followed you too. Hope to see you again. Have a nice day.

    Hi Priya,
    Thank you!

    Hi Lisa,
    Thank you! The cake really turned out well!

    Hi Alisha,
    You are right. This is just too luscious to be called plain! Have a nice day!

    ReplyDelete
  13. This really sounds delicious and I have berries in the freezer. I have no excuse not to give this one a try. I hope you are having a great day. Blessings...Mary

    ReplyDelete
  14. Joy,
    This is an amazing cake, I am so happy that you brought it over to Full Plate Thursday. We will all enjoy having this recipe. Thank you for coming and see you soon!

    ReplyDelete
  15. I like the look of having lots of blueberries in this cake :D

    ReplyDelete
  16. I love blueberries and this cake looks wonderful! Am putting it on my "must try" list! Thanks for the great recipe!

    ReplyDelete
  17. This one caught my eye, I can't wait for my backyard blueberries next season, YUM. Thanks.

    ReplyDelete
  18. I love plain cakes like this! I have Dorie's book but haven't made this one yet. That will change soon :)

    ReplyDelete