My friend, Lynn, rubs up with mosquito spray and grabs a bucket as she heads out each year at this time to pick wild blueberries. She's been doing this for years, so it doesn't take her long to pick enough of those small, sweet berries in her secret spot to make at least a couple of blueberry pies. And, she makes the world's best pie crust. This year, she brought me a small pie that was perfect for my husband and I to share. We savored each bite of flaky crust that held her homemade wild blueberry pie filling. It was absolutely heavenly.
I don't pick wild blueberries, except for the few that grow along my driveway. Too many bears, woodticks and mosquitoes to worry about when one is out in the woods picking berries. And, I don't make pies. I make at least a few dozen of my favorite bluebery muffins each year at this time.
Today, I tried something a little different by baking a whole batch of my favorite blueberry muffin recipe in a springform pan to make a muffin cake. I didn't skimp on the berries. I used a full pint. I didn't stir them into the batter as I would if I was making muffins. I sprinkled blueberries over the top of the batter after first tossing them with cinnamon and sugar.
The cake is fabulous when eaten while it is still warm from the oven. It makes a delightful morning cake with coffee or tea. And it makes a perfectly satisfying dessert cake with a scoop of homemade vanilla bean ice cream. I speak from experience!
Blueberry Muffin Cake
1/2 cup butter, room temperature
2 cups sugar, divided
2 eggs
1/2 cup milk
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 pint fresh blueberries, rinsed
2 teaspoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 teaspoon cinnamon
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Lightly grease the bottom of a 9-inch springform pan. Set aside.
Using a spoon, mix butter, 1 1/2 cups sugar, eggs, milk, vanilla, salt, flour amd baking powder. Spread batter into prepared pan.
Sue Doeden is a popular cooking instructor, food writer and integrative nutrition health coach. She is the host of Good Food, Good Life 365 on Lakeland Public Television. Her own hives full of hardworking bees and her love of honey led to the creation of her recently published cookbook, Homemade with Honey.
Toss blueberries with lemon juice in a large bowl. In another smaller bowl, mix remaining 1/2 cup sugar with 1 teaspoon cinnamon. Mix cinnamon-sugar with blueberries. Arrange blueberries over batter in pan. Bake in preheated oven for about 1 hour or until a cake tester inserted into middle of cake comes out clean. Transfer to a wire racke and cool for 15 minutes. Remove the side of the pan. Serve cake warm or at room temperature. 8 servings.
Sue Doeden is a food writer based in Bemidji, Minn. Her columns, recipes and photos appear weekly in select Forum Communications Co. newspapers. She also appears on Lakeland Public Television's Wednesday newscast at 10 p.m., and teaches cooking classes. Her recipes can be found online on her blog Sue Doeden's All about Food.