I have fallen for blueberries in a big way but I’m not the only one. British blueberry consumption is soaring – at the turn of the century (i.e. 2000) only 1,000 tonnes of blueberries were sold in Britain each year; now the figure is 15,000 tonnes (according to the BBC). It was only relatively recently I first tasted a blueberry – I don’t recall them at all from my childhood.
Blueberries lend themselves beautifully to baking either holding their shape and bursting with juice in your mouth, or collapsing and infusing the sponge with their rich indigo colour. It’s what I’d term a win-win.
This is a satisfying cake as the flavours are simple but effective. Preparation time is virtually nothing – I had it in the oven within 10 minutes of starting! The use of golden caster sugar enhances the sponge with almost a hint of caramel and it contrasts well with the berries. Texturally too, the crumbly sponge and the juicy berries are a match made in heaven.
I always tell my eaters the bare minimum of what the cake is to see what they can detect (it keeps them on their toes, plus how else do you think I got any takers for the sprout cake!); this cake was pitched to them as “blueberry sponge”. Everyone asked what else was in the sponge as it tasted moister and softer than usual – that would be the sour cream!
Don’t panic if the blueberries settle a bit towards the bottom of the cake – they did in mine, and they did in the original recipe too.
You could dress this cake up with frosting but I fancied it left plain with some thick cream on the side. You could, of course, substitute the blueberries for any similar berry of your choice.
Ingredients
175g unsalted butter, at room temperature
175g golden caster sugar, plus 2 tablespoons extra to sprinkle on top
3 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
225g self raising flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
4 tablespoons (60ml) soured cream
250g blueberries
To serve: cream
Method
Preheat the oven to 180˚C/fan oven 160˚C/350˚F/gas mark 4.
Line a 20cm round springform tin with baking paper.
Beat together the butter and sugar until it is whippy and pale. Take your time over this as your cake will be lighter for it.
Beat in the eggs one at a time. If the mixture looks like it might curdle add some of the flour to stop it.
Beat in the vanilla extract.
Fold in the flour and baking powder.
Fold in the soured cream.
Carefully stir in the blueberries; some may collapse but don’t worry – this will give the sponge a lovely colour!
Spoon into the prepared cake tin and level the surface.
Sprinkle the extra caster sugar over the top.
Bake for approximately 50 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the cake comes out clean.
Leave to cool, in the tin, on a wire rack.
Remove the cake tin when it is cool enough to handle, and place the cake back on the wire rack to cool completely.
Store in an airtight tin.
Serve with thick cream.
Bask in the glory of the wonderful thing you have created.
Eat.
20 comments:
It might just be a reflection of the poor quality of our supermarket blueberries but I'm invariably underwhelmed by their inclusion in any cake. I think other berries usually produce superior results. Give me a raspberry or blackberry any day.
I'm probably on my own on this one but maybe it's time to face down the dominance of the American blueberry with our own humble bilberry.
Let's start a revolution! ;o)
Hi Lester
I agree with you that there are some poor excuses for blueberries offered in our supermarkets. These were South African blueberries from M&S and were really large, firm and with a juicy texture. They had good flavour and worked well in this cake.
I haven't seen bilberries offered on my local markets or in the shops.
Blueberries are so good for you that you could almost call this cake health food!!!!!
Baking with sour cream is soooooo great!! My mum and I make a similar cake in the summer time (I can't afford blueberries!!) but it has lemon rind added to the sponge and a yum yum yummy lemon glaze on top!!!
The texture looks fabulous - really light and fluffy. I genuinely think your version looks better than the original. I've often wondered what that cake tastes like, but have been put off making it because all of the fruit has sunk, but it hasn't in yours.
Will be added to the 'bake soon' list. Is there any reason why you added less soured cream than in the original recipe?
That looks lovely,the cream by the side just sets it off, I have my cup of tea ready!
I have 'fallen' for blueberries in a big way recently. I've always liked them...but at the moment I'm obsessed! They are just so delicious! Admist my obsession, I thought of making a blueberry cake. Now I know what recipe to turn to!
Looks gorgeous and the sponge looks so moist and tender. I think I've always loved blueberries but thinking about it we never had them when I was growing up. I'm not sure we even knew what they were a few years ago. Can't resist anything with blueberries now
Hi C
I added the amount of sour cream for the cake - the BBC recipe unhelpfully lists the total amount of sour cream needed rather than splitting it between cake and frosting. I didn't make the frosting hence didn't need the whole amount.
Hope that explains it!
Sigh, cake is indeed good! Yours looks mouthwateringly good.
Of course you are not the only one who fell for blueberries. But unlike you, I had always have a crush on them. My mom used to make all kinds of cakes using blueberries when I was a kid, so I guess they stuck with me. Anyway, your cake looks delicious. It’s so mouth-watering. Thanks for the recipe.
wow, looks so awesome, soft, moist and full of blueberries :)
I think I actually like that the blueberries sink to the bottom. I also like that the sour cream makes it moister and softer - it's definitely got my vote!
ah, i have heard of adding sourcream to baked goods would make for very moist & delicate cakes,
but i havnt gotten a chance to actually try it out.
but after seeing your blueberry cakes, it makes my tummy grumble~~~ haha
i adore your blog, and id love to follow & see more updates (:
id really appreciate it if you could do the same~
keep up the amazing work!
This cake looks fab - I could definitely fall for any fruit cooked in such a fluffy looking cake. I think your blog is pretty stylish, so I have given you an award:
http://kitchenlaw.blogspot.com/2011/02/musk-sticks.html
Looks great. I love blueberries having only discovered them a few years ago. I often make a blueberry and lemon cake but will definitely have to give this a go. Thanks!
If you reserve a small spoonful of the flour to toss with and coat the blueberries they won't sink to the bottom as much.
This cake looks delicious - I can definitely see why blueberry sales are increasing. This cake looks like the kind I would keep coming back to for more and more :)
I grew up in Scotland and picking 'bilberries' was a real family outing. They grow closer to the ground in prickly little bushes, so it was a chore of love!The home-grown ones are much smaller and more tart than the US ones we get in the shops. I found 'blueberries' disappointing when I first came across them and still would prefer the Scottish variety!
Another tip to stop them sinking, after coating them in flour, is to plop them into the plain cake mix and just poke them down before popping in the oven! It works!
I totally love all your recipes, however this cake is truly delicious... So moist and yummy... I have made this 3 times in all, my wife and kids can't get enough of it... My cake takes a little longer though, about 1 hour 15 minutes all the time... I have also used this same recipe to make blueberry and sour cream muffins, it makes around 16 muffins and bakes at the same temp for about 35 minutes... Thank you... ;o)
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