Blueberry Boy Bait

I began baking for my group at the National Museum of Mexican Art as another way of connecting and sharing. I think food is important when it come to creativity. We need to feed our bodies. I think the group's favorite recipe of mine is my Zucchini Bread recipe. However, I think Blueberry Boy Bait is a close second. I found it at Cook's Country (www.cookscountry.com) when I was looking for something new to do with blueberries that I had and wanted to use. I've since found it in many, many places. I love the story behind the recipe as much as I enjoy the desert.

Blueberry Boy Bait

Adapted from Cook’s Country, which adapted it from the original
Like any recipe with a great name, this also has a great story, which was that in 1954, a 15-year-old girl stole the show (but only won second prize) in the junior division of an early Pillsbury Bake-Off with a variation of this recipe, named, she said, after the effect it had on boys.

Cook’s Country magazine dusted this recipe off from the Pillsbury Bake-Off Dessert Cookbook and made a few tweaks to bring it more deliciously into the modern age: butter was swapped for shortening, the quantity of blueberries was doubled and some plain sugar was replaced with brown sugar. The result? Let’s just say you don’t need to be a boy to be lured in. Serves 12, generously

2 cups plus 1 teaspoon all-purpose flour Note from Karen: I use white wheat flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon table salt Note from Karen: I don't use salt and no one notices
16 tablespoons unsalted butter (2 sticks), softened
3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
3 large eggs
1 cup whole milk (though buttermilk, which was all I had on hand, worked just great) Note from Karen: I used skim milk and it worked fine
1/2 cup blueberries, fresh or frozen (if frozen, do not defrost first as it tends to muddle in the batter) Note from Karen: I used more blueberries.

Topping
1/2 cup blueberries, fresh or frozen (do not defrost)
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
For the cake: Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour 13 by 9-inch baking pan.
Whisk two cups flour, baking powder, and salt together in medium bowl. With electric mixer, beat butter and sugars on medium-high speed until fluffy, about two minutes. Add eggs, one at a time, beating until just incorporated and scraping down bowl. Reduce speed to medium and beat in one-third of flour mixture until incorporated; beat in half of milk. Beat in half of remaining flour mixture, then remaining milk, and finally remaining flour mixture. Toss blueberries with remaining one teaspoon flour. Using rubber spatula, gently fold in blueberries. Spread batter into prepared pan.

For the topping:
Scatter blueberries over top of batter. Stir sugar and cinnamon together in small bowl and sprinkle over batter. Bake until toothpick inserted in center of cake comes out clean, 45 to 50 minutes. Cool in pan 20 minutes, then turn out and place on serving platter (topping side up). Serve warm (really the best) or at room temperature.

Cake can be stored in airtight container at room temperature up to 3 days. It's never lasted 3 days at my house!

Enjoy!