Receta Blueberry Crumb Cake
John Barricelli, Chef and
author of "The Seasonal Baker"
It’s
blueberry season but I’ll take any excuse for making this combination of a
vanilla cake with fresh blueberries and a chunky brown sugar crumb
topping. And since it can be eaten
straight from the oven as a breakfast pastry or saved for an afternoon snack or
a dessert with dinner, it’s ideal to have on hand over a weekend. It’s another one of Baker John Barricelli’s
triumphs from his South Norwalk CT SoNo Bakery.
You’ll find it in his latest book “The Seasonal Baker” (Clarkson
Potter 2012) which we’ve raved about most recently for its French Lemon
Tart. What we loved about the tart—the
concentrated lemon curd flavor of the filling—is mirrored in the intense
blueberry flavor in this cake. There’s even a juicy quality to the blueberries hidden under the topping.
The blueberry itself is North America’s
gift to the rest of the world. It is a
native plant that didn’t even get to Europe until the 1930s. The blueberry plant varies wildly in size
ranging from just under 4 inches tall to the “highbush” which can grow to 13
feet tall.
The lower growing species are synonymous with ‘wild blueberries’ and
both low and high varieties are commercially cultivated. Blueberries typically bear fruit in the
middle of the growing season which is right about now on Long Island but may be
later in states particularly known for their blueberries like Maine. In fact, Maine produces 25 percent of the
countries low bush berries and the Wild blueberry is the official fruit of Maine. But the crown for blueberry growing goes to Michigan
where highbush production produces over 220,000 tons of blueberries, which is
32% of all the berries eaten in the United States. But wherever your
blueberries come from, put them to great use in this wonderful breakfast, lunch
or dinner treat. In the recipe there's a request for an odd-sized baking dish (12 1/4 x 8 1/4 x 1 1/4 inches). Andrew who takes directions very seriously was thrilled to find we had one the right length and width if not height. I think the point here is to find something approximately that size remembering that the height of the crumb cake should be 1 1/4 inches. Here’s the recipe:
Recipe for Blueberry Crumb
Cake from John Barricelli’s “The Seasonal Baker”. Makes 12- 3 inch squares. Prep Time 30 minutes. Total Time 1 1/2 hours including 10 minutes cooling time.
- 2 ½ cups
- all-purpose flour
- 1 cup firmly
- packed light brown sugar
- 2 teaspoons
- ground cinnamon
- 1 cup (2
- sticks) unsalted butter
- 1 ½ cups
- plus 1 tbsp. all purpose flour
- 2 ½
- teaspoons baking powder
- 1 large egg,
- at room temperature
- 1 tbsp. pure
- vanilla extract
- 1 pint (2
- cups) fresh blueberries
1 to 2 tbsp.
confectioners’ sugar
Set the oven rack in the lower third of the oven.
Preheat the
oven to 350°F. Spray a 12¼ by 8¼
by 1¼-inch baking dish with
nonstick cooking spray. Coat with our and tap out the
excess.
2
To make the crumb topping: In a large bowl, sift the flour
with
the brown sugar, cinnamon, and salt. Melt the butter in
a small
saucepan; let cool for 2 minutes. Pour the melted butter
over the
our mixture. Work the mixture with your fingertips to
press
into nice large crumbs; set aside.
3
To make the cake: In a large bowl, stir together 1½ cups
of the
our, the baking powder, and salt; set aside.
4
In a medium bowl, whisk together the milk, granulated
sugar,
oil, egg, and vanilla and add to the flour
mixture. Stir until the
flour is absorbed.
5
Using a small
offset spatula, spread the batter
6
In a medium bowl, toss the blueberries with the
remaining 1 tablespoon of flour.
7
Sprinkle the blueberries evenly over the cake batter.
8
Scatter the crumb topping over the top; it will completely cover the
berries.
9
Bake, rotating the pan about two-thirds of the way
through the
baking time, until the topping is golden brown, the
blueberries
are bubbling, and a cake tester inserted in the center
of the cake
comes out clean, 45 to 50 minutes. Remove to a cooling
rack
and allow to cool for 10 minutes,
or completely.
10
Sift confectioners’ sugar over the
top.
11
Cut into twelve 3-inch
squares to serve.