Saturday, August 3, 2013

Blueberry Breakfast Bliss

Well, I did it again. I bought WAY too much fruit at the grocery store yesterday. But how can I resist when the blueberries are big and beautiful and only $1.29?!

Blueberries are my hubby's favorite fruit, probably because the tiny town he grew up in had no less than five blueberry farms and you could buy a 10 lb box of them for just a couple dollars in the summer. But he's more of a fruit purist and rarely wants me to waste his precious berries by baking them in a muffin. He likes them plain, sometimes floating in a little cream and sugar, and occasionally in a pie. The problem is he forgets we have them and before we know it they have turned into a pile of blueberry mush.

Well, there's not much you can do with them once they reach the mush stage, but if you find them buried in the fridge just a few minutes before total mushiness, they are still in fine shape to shine in this blueberry delight. Of course, I barely got this week's bounty of berries unpacked before I decided to bake up a pan of this scrumptiousness for breakfast because I prefer my fruit surrounded by cake!

This recipe is called a breakfast cake, probably because it's not super sweet and there's no frosting, but it could totally fill in for dessert in a pinch because the buttermilk keeps it extra moist and rich-tasting. It tastes better than a muffin, and it's easier! In fact, this whips up so fast, I wouldn't even mind waiting for it to bake on a weekday. The kid likes it, the hubs likes it, and occasionally I even save some for them.


Blueberry Buttermilk Breakfast Cake 
Prep time: 10 min Cook time: 35 min
16 servings

½ cup unsalted butter, softened
2 tsp lemon zest (zest from 1 lemon)
1 cup + 1 Tbs sugar
1 egg, room temperature
1 tsp vanilla
2 cups flour, divided
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
½ cup buttermilk*
2 cups fresh blueberries

Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Cream butter with lemon zest and 1 cup of the sugar until light and fluffy. 

Add the egg and vanilla and beat until combined.

Meanwhile, toss the blueberries with ¼ cup of flour, then whisk together the remaining flour, baking powder and salt. 

Add the flour mixture to the batter a little at a time, alternating with the buttermilk. Fold in the blueberries.

Grease a 9-inch square baking pan with butter or coat with non-stick spray. Spread batter into pan. Sprinkle batter with remaining tablespoon of sugar. Bake for 35 to 45 minutes. Check with a toothpick for doneness. If necessary, return pan to oven for a couple of more minutes.  Let cool before serving. (Yeah, I just ate it right away.)

* I like to buy a half gallon of buttermilk, freeze it in ice cube trays, and then just thaw a few cubes as I need them.  To make homemade buttermilk, place 1 tablespoon of vinegar or lemon juice in a liquid measuring cup. Fill cup with milk until it reaches the 1-cup line. Let stand for five minutes. Use only 1/2 cup of the prepared mixture for this recipe. 

126 calories per servingClick here for more nutritional info and shopping list! 

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