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Blueberry Boy Bait

By America's Test Kitchen

Published on April 29, 2013

Yield

Serves 12

Blueberry Boy Bait

Ingredients

Cake

2 cups (10 ounces/283 grams) plus 1 teaspoon all-purpose flour, divided1 tablespoon baking powder 1 teaspoon table salt 16 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 16 pieces and softened¾ cup packed (5¼ ounces/149 grams) light brown sugar ½ cup (3½ ounces/99 grams) granulated sugar 3 large eggs 1 cup whole milk 2½ ounces (71 grams/½ cup) blueberries, fresh or frozen (see note above)

Topping

2½ ounces (71 grams/½ cup) blueberries, fresh or frozen¼ cup (1¾ ounces/50 grams) granulated sugar ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon

Before You Begin

If using frozen blueberries, do not let them thaw, as they will turn the batter a blue-green color.

Instructions

    for the cake

  1.  Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease 13 by 9-inch baking pan, line with parchment paper, grease parchment, and flour pan.
  2.  Whisk 2 cups flour, baking powder, and salt together in bowl. Using stand mixer fitted with paddle, beat butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar on medium-high speed until fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add eggs, one at a time, and beat until just incorporated. Reduce speed to medium and add flour mixture in 3 additions, alternating with milk in 2 additions, scraping down bowl as needed. Toss blueberries with remaining 1 teaspoon flour. Using rubber spatula, gently fold blueberries into batter. Transfer batter to prepared pan and smooth top with rubber spatula.
  3. for the topping

  4. Scatter blueberries over top of batter. Stir sugar and cinnamon together in small bowl and sprinkle over batter. Bake until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean, 45 to 50 minutes, rotating pan halfway through baking. Let cake cool in pan on wire rack for 20 minutes. Remove cake from pan, discarding parchment, and place on serving platter. Cut into squares and serve warm or at room temperature. (Cake can be stored at room temperature for up to 3 days.)

Blueberry Boy Bait

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Yield

Serves 12

Ingredients

Cake

2 cups (10 ounces/283 grams) plus 1 teaspoon all-purpose flour, divided
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon table salt
16 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 16 pieces and softened
¾ cup packed (5¼ ounces/149 grams) light brown sugar
½ cup (3½ ounces/99 grams) granulated sugar
3 large eggs
1 cup whole milk
2½ ounces (71 grams/½ cup) blueberries, fresh or frozen (see note above)

Topping

2½ ounces (71 grams/½ cup) blueberries, fresh or frozen
¼ cup (1¾ ounces/50 grams) granulated sugar
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon

Ingredients

Cake

2 cups (10 ounces/283 grams) plus 1 teaspoon all-purpose flour, divided
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon table salt
16 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 16 pieces and softened
¾ cup packed (5¼ ounces/149 grams) light brown sugar
½ cup (3½ ounces/99 grams) granulated sugar
3 large eggs
1 cup whole milk
2½ ounces (71 grams/½ cup) blueberries, fresh or frozen (see note above)

Topping

2½ ounces (71 grams/½ cup) blueberries, fresh or frozen
¼ cup (1¾ ounces/50 grams) granulated sugar
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon

Ingredients

Cake

2 cups (10 ounces/283 grams) plus 1 teaspoon all-purpose flour, divided
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon table salt
16 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 16 pieces and softened
¾ cup packed (5¼ ounces/149 grams) light brown sugar
½ cup (3½ ounces/99 grams) granulated sugar
3 large eggs
1 cup whole milk
2½ ounces (71 grams/½ cup) blueberries, fresh or frozen (see note above)

Topping

2½ ounces (71 grams/½ cup) blueberries, fresh or frozen
¼ cup (1¾ ounces/50 grams) granulated sugar
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon

Why This Recipe Works

This coffee cake with the odd name—so called because the girl who created it for the Pillsbury Grand National Baking Contest said that teenage boys found it irresistible—is a moist cake with blueberries and a light streusel topping. We tracked down a version of the contest-winning recipe and decided to see if we could improve it.

The original recipe called for shortening and granulated sugar. We swapped butter for the shortening and brown sugar for some of the granulated sugar. Both exchanges resulted in richer, deeper flavor in the cake. We doubled the amount of blueberries; half went into the cake batter and the other half on top. An extra egg in the cake batter firmed up the structure so that the extra fruit wouldn’t make the cake mushy. The topping couldn’t be simpler: in addition to the blueberries, just sugar and cinnamon instead of a streusel, which baked into a light, crisp, sweet coating. If the quick disappearance of this cake is any indication, it’s not only teenage boys who can’t refuse a second piece.

Before You Begin

If using frozen blueberries, do not let them thaw, as they will turn the batter a blue-green color.

Instructions

    for the cake

  1.  Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease 13 by 9-inch baking pan, line with parchment paper, grease parchment, and flour pan.
  2.  Whisk 2 cups flour, baking powder, and salt together in bowl. Using stand mixer fitted with paddle, beat butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar on medium-high speed until fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add eggs, one at a time, and beat until just incorporated. Reduce speed to medium and add flour mixture in 3 additions, alternating with milk in 2 additions, scraping down bowl as needed. Toss blueberries with remaining 1 teaspoon flour. Using rubber spatula, gently fold blueberries into batter. Transfer batter to prepared pan and smooth top with rubber spatula.
  3. for the topping

  4. Scatter blueberries over top of batter. Stir sugar and cinnamon together in small bowl and sprinkle over batter. Bake until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean, 45 to 50 minutes, rotating pan halfway through baking. Let cake cool in pan on wire rack for 20 minutes. Remove cake from pan, discarding parchment, and place on serving platter. Cut into squares and serve warm or at room temperature. (Cake can be stored at room temperature for up to 3 days.)

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