Blueberry Pudding Cake Recipe

Right now in Chilliwack, you can't go anywhere without practically tripping over a blueberry stand. Sweet, dreamy blueberries are in season and ready to be whipped up into whatever your heart desires! You can make crumble bars (similar to the Starbucks versions), sneak them into muffins, tumble them over sugar cookie pizzas, or bake a pie.

I vote for all the blueberry recipes. Can you tell I'm a little obsessed? Berries are my favourite fruit and since their season is short, I spend a lot of my summer buying boxes and either freezing them or making jam. Often my biggest challenge is turning them into something before my family eats them all!

This dessert is a summer version of a pudding cake, with a light lemony cake layer on the top and a juicy blueberry bottom. It's reminiscent of crumble, which I love, but if you aren't a fan of oatmeal this may be more your taste. Served warm with ice cream, it's a really great dessert that I'm sure your family will enjoy. Mine practically licked the bowls and asked for more. If you notice that in the photos it doesn't seem to make that much, it's because I halved the recipe. You can do this and it will serve four nicely. Just use a 32 oz/1 litre glass baking dish and reduce the baking time a little to about 45-50 minutes.

Ingredients:

Pudding layer

3 cups fresh blueberries
2/3 cup sugar, divided
3/4 cup water
1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (about 1-2 lemons)

Cake layer

1/2 cup butter, softened
3/4 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp grated lemon rind
1/2 tsp vanilla
1 1/4 cups flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
pinch salt
1/2 cup milk

Directions:

Pre-heat oven to 350 F. In a buttered 2 liter glass baking dish, toss berries with 1/3 cup of sugar. Set aside.

Using an electric mixer, cream the butter and sugar together until light colored and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and add the vanilla and lemon rind, mixing well.

Sift the flour, baking powder, and salt together in a medium sized bowl. Add to the butter mixture, alternating with the milk and using 3 portions of flour, 2 of milk, mixing well after each addition. Scrape batter evenly over the blueberries and smooth the top.

In a small saucepan, mix the 1/3 cup sugar left over from what you tossed with the blueberries with lemon juice and water. Bring it to a boil on the stove, the pour gently over the cake. Do NOT STIR it! What happens is the liquid sinks through the cake batter, giving you a moist cake on top with a lemon blueberry bottom.

Bake the cake for 50-55 minutes until golden and set. Let cool for about 15 minutes before serving. Scoop out portions into a bowl and serve with ice cream, or even some whipping cream.The cold ice cream is a perfect foil against the warm blueberries and tender cake.