Blueberry Snack Cake, Gluten-Free

Happy Easter weekend!  We don’t really have any big plans other than to do what we usually do–hang out as a family and relax.  I snuck out and got chocolate bunnies and eggs for D’Ahub and Girlfriend (and me) from our favorite (and local) chocolate store, Fran’s.  We usually have a roast chicken for Easter dinner, so that’s simple to prepare.  Now that Girlfriend is a teenager, we no longer have Easter egg hunts for her (sniff).  But we do have a leisurely breakfast and sit around and chat.  And Girlfriend invited a pal over to hang out this afternoon, so I was thinking about something to bake that would be good for both a snack and as a breakfast option.

As I was perusing my cookbooks, I came across the Blueberry Boy-Bait cake The Yellow Farmhouse Cookbook by Christopher Kimball (of Cook’s Illustrated fame).  The cake’s name comes from its original incarnation as the second-prize winner in the 1954 Pillsbury Recipe and Baking Contest.  It was submitted by a woman named Renny Powell, who found the cake to be not only delicious, but helpful in attracting suitors.  After making the cake, I can see why.  It is quite buttery and moist, and the light crumb sprinkled over the blueberries on the top give it a nice crunch and a bit of sweetness to the tart berries.

If I were to re-name this cake for who it attracts in my house, I would name it “Anyone With Tastebuds Bait Cake.”  I made it this morning and offered some to Girlfriend and her pal–who promptly devoured their pieces and asked for seconds.  D’Ahub wandered in and helped himself to two pieces.  And, of course, I’ve been nibbling on it.  There is now a half of  the (9 x 13 in) cake left.  I’m going to have to hide the second half in order for there to be enough to eat tomorrow morning for breakfast!

This cake calls for fresh blueberries, but frozen are fine.  I still have a lot of blueberries that I froze last summer in the freezer, so I just defrosted them and drained them and they worked perfectly.

Blueberry Snack Cake, Gluten-Free

-adapted from The Yellow Farmhouse Cookbook by Christopher Kimball

Ingredients

2 cups (290 g) Jeanne’s Gluten-Free All Purpose Flour mix

2 teaspoons double-acting, aluminum-free baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

1¼ cups (250 g) granulated sugar

10 tablespoons (140 g) unsalted butter, cold and cut into 10 pieces

2 large or extra-large eggs, separated

1 cup (240 ml) milk

1½ cups (210 g) fresh blueberries (or frozen that have been defrosted, drained, and patted dry melted butter and tapioca flour for pan

Method

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F/180 degrees C. Butter and flour at 9 x 13 in pan

In a large bowl mix together flour, baking powder, salt, and granulated sugar until combined. Add butter pieces and use your fingers to rub them into the flour mixture until they resembled large and small rocks mixed with flour. You can also do this with a pastry cutter or in a food processor.

Remove and reserve ½ cup (90 g) of the mixture.

Pour remaining flour mixture into the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Add egg yolks and milk and beat on low to combine and then raise speed to medium and beat for 2 minutes.

While the flour mixture is beating, use a hand mixer to whip the egg whites until they form stiff peaks. After the flour mixture is done beating, remove the bowl from the mixer. Gently fold the flour mixture into the whipped egg whites into the flour mixture.

Spread the batter into the pan and smooth top. Sprinkle the blueberries on top and then sprinkle the reserved crumb mixture on top of all.

Bake for 50 minutes or until a tester inserted into the center of the cake comes out free of crumbs.

Cool in pan set on a wire for about 30 minutes (to allow the cake to set) before serving.

Serve plain or with a side of unsweetened whipped cream

Note:  If you use a different gluten-free flour mix, alter the amount of or eliminate the xanthan gum, use dairy-free or egg-free substitutes, or change any other ingredients in this recipe, your results may not match my results.

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