Blueberry Boy Bait

Yup...that's what I said...

Blueberry. Boy. Bait.

This is apparently a second place winner in a 1954 Pillsbury Bake-Off. The 15 year old girl who made it named for the effect it had on boys...riskee!!

It was adapted by Cook's Country, and Cook's Country's recipe was adapted by Smitten Kitchen.

Then I got ahold of it.

This is the first time I've made this delicious little treat and I can think of a couple of ways I might adjust it further to better suit my taste.

One thing I will say about this cake: It's SO moist and buttery that when you press down on it, there's an audible, rich crackle of moisture...and just the thought of that makes my mouth water.

I made this one with local blueberries, but it could easily be made with anything...it would be delicious with peaches, rhubarb, cherries...the endless possibilities give me goosebumps!

Blueberry Boy Bait

1 cup unbleached all purpose flour (plus 1 tsp set aside)
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon sea salt
2 sticks unsalted butter
1/4 cup demerara sugar (*see note)
3 large eggs
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
1 cup milk (whole milk, buttermilk, skim milk, whatever you have...)
1/2 cup blueberries, fresh or frozen (if frozen, don't bother defrosting)

For the topping:
1/2 cup blueberries, fresh or frozen (if frozen, don't bother defrosting)
1/4 cup demerera sugar (*see note)
1 tsp ground cinnamon

* Note: I try to avoid using white sugar or commercially processed brown sugar in recipes...I prefer demerera sugar. If you don't have demerera sugar, in the cake you can use 3/4 cup brown sugar and 1/2 cup white sugar, and in the topping, 1/4 cup white or brown sugar.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and grease and flour a 13 x 9 baking pan.

In a medium bowl, mix flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside.

In a large bowl, beat butter and sugar until fluffy. Add eggs, vanilla and milk, and mix until combined.

Slowly beat in dry ingredients, in 2 or 3 batches, until just combined.

Toss blueberries in 1 tsp flour (it will help keep them from sinking to the bottom), and fold into batter with a spatula. Place batter into pan and smooth the top.

Combine all the topping ingredients in a bowl and evenly sprinkle on top.

Bake for 45 - 50 minutes or until a skewer comes out clean. I had to check on it and rotate it throughout the baking to make sure it baked evenly.

It's rich, that's for sure, but it's a nice treat. It was a great way to use up some local fruit that I had lying around. I'd totally make this again.