Blueberry Pecan Cake
Yes, it’s Monday. And yes, we’re starting it with cake. I don’t think I really need to justify it anymore, do !?
Especially if it’s this Blueberry Pecan Cake which though cake-like in appearance, is more of a giant blueberry muffin and therefore entirely justifiable for breakfast!
It’s one of those bake-for-no-reason-at-all, everyday cakes you’re going to love having in your repertoire!
It comes together easily with mostly pantry staples and works amazingly well with frozen blueberries (I’m crossing my fingers that you’ve got some stashed away because I really want you to be able to whip this up today!!).
The cake bakes up light and fluffy with gorgeous golden brown edges contrasted by the bursting juiciness of the blueberries and crunch of the pecans (you could also use walnuts too and it would be great.)
For all my lemon lovers, don’t skip the addition of the lemon zest— it adds such a bright zinginess to every bite, which is something we could all use a lot more of now.
So…it may be Monday, another Monday, the beginning of another week of staying at home for most of us, but we’re gonna get through this and come out the other side…and it’s going to be a lot easier with cake!
Blueberry Pecan Cake
Makes 8-10 servings depending on how large you cut the pieces
Prep Time: 15 minutes; Bake Time: 45-50 minutes
Ingredients
1 cup unbleached, all-purpose flour
3 tablespoons fine or medium-ground cornmeal
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon kosher salt
½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature, plus a little extra for greasing the pan
1 cup sugar
2 large eggs
⅓ cup whole or 2% milk
1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
Finely grated zest 1 lemon
2 cups fresh or frozen blueberries (if frozen, don’t thaw)
1 cup coarsely chopped pecans or walnuts
Demerara sugar for sprinkling on top
The Recipe
1. Make sure oven rack is centered and preheat oven to 350ºF. Butter a 9-inch square baking pan.
2. Into a large bowl, whisk together the flour, cornmeal, baking powder and salt.
3. Use an electric mixer to cream together the butter and 1 cup sugar on medium-high speed until smooth. Add in eggs, milk, vanilla and zest and beat until well combined—no worries if it looks curdled. Add in flour mixture and mix in on low speed, just until incorporated—you don’t want to over mix or cake will be tough.
4. Fold in the berries gently, just until combined. Scrape the batter into the pan and smooth the top. Scatter the nuts all across the top evenly. Sprinkle evenly with some of the demerara sugar.
5. Bake for about 45-48 minutes, until the cake is golden and a tester inserted into the center of the pan comes out clean. Let the cake sit in the pan on a wire rack until completely cool. Cut into wedges and serve. Cake keeps well wrapped at room temperature for a couple of days or wrap well and chill in the fridge. It’s great reheated in a low oven.
Enjoy!
Note: Recipe adapted from Genius Desserts by Food 52’s Kristen Miglore. I increased the lemon zest and subbed in demerara sugar for the topping. Also cooked this a little longer.
