Norene Gilletz's Blueberry Crumble Cake
What do you serve when your English mother in law is coming to town? A good cup of tea and a slice of Norene Gilletz’s Blueberry Crumble Cake, of course.
I first discovered this cake when I was writing my Al Dente review on Norene's book, The Food Processor Bible. While we were chatting back then, Norene mentioned that the Blueberry Crumble Cake is really good and really easy. I’d forgotten about that cake until earlier this week. I was juggling the back to school frenzy and preparing for my in law’s arrival on the same day school started! Yikes. There was no time for fancy desserts. I needed something good, economical, and fast. Blueberry Crumble cake to the rescue!
I readied my trusty Cuisinart food processor and cracked open The Food Processor Bible. The recipe calls for basic ingredients readily available in any decently stocked home kitchen—flour, sugar, butter, eggs, sour cream and blueberries. In a total of seven minutes, including the time used to gather the ingredients, I had the batter in the pan and headed for the oven. Forty minutes later, the cake was ready and impressive. It stood high in the pan and was moist and flavorful. My kids declared it awesome. My husband said it was “the best ever.”
The only problem with the cake? My kids liked it so much that they left only a measly portion for the grandparents. This, of course, lead me back to the Cuisinart for round two.
Here’s the recipe, reprinted with permission from Norene. Try it. This one is a classic and a keeper.
Blueberry Crumble Cake
2 ¼ cups flour
1 ¼ cups sugar
¾ cup butter or margarine, cut in chunks
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup sour cream or yogurt
1 teaspoon baking powder
2 eggs
1 ½ cup fresh blueberries
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. Steel Blade: Process flour, sugar and butter or margarine until fine crumbs are formed, 12 to 15 seconds. Remove 1 cup of the crumb mixture from your processor and set aside. Dissolve baking soda in sour cream or yogurt. Add to processor along with baking powder and eggs. Process for 6 to 8 seconds, just until blended, scraping down sides of bowl with rubber spatula as necessary. Do not overprocess. Stir in blueberries by hand.
3. Spread batter evenly in sprayed 9-inch square baking pan. Sprinkle with reserved crumb mixture. Bake for 40 to 45 minutes, until done. Yield: 9 servings.
Photograph by Melissa A. Trainer
China featured in photo is Spode Blue Italian
--Melissa A. Trainer
ladegerat on September 11, 2009 at 12:01 AM
Hmmmmmm! Looks delicious, I wish i could have had this one but anyways, thanks for sharing the recipe of how to make this cake and I will definitely try to make it.....
Western Reader on September 11, 2009 at 08:27 AM
Another jewel of a recipe from Al Dente and Melissa. Thank you! I just bought a 2 lb. container of blueberries from Costco and wondered if I could find a fairly easy recipe for a delicious treat for our book club (I'm leading a discussion on two Kate Morton books, purchased from Amazon.com, of course!). Great timing, and I know the gals will enjoy the "good taste" of the books and the cake.
gifts Philippines on October 13, 2009 at 11:07 PM
I think the Blueberry Crumble Cake is a perfect gift to my mom i will do this on my own for sure she will like it.
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