When I bought a container of Maine blueberries last week from Kay Fowler of Springbrook Farm in Cumberland she said, “You must make that blueberry cake; the recipe is on the table.” As if I needed further inducement she added: “It’s the lightest cake you’ll ever have.”
Blueberry cake
Kay always has recipe cards printed out at her post at the Cumberland Farmers Market and at her farm store on Greely Road in Cumberland.
There it was: “Melt-in-Your-Mouth Blueberry Cake.” I took the recipe sheet and made it that night for dessert.
Not that I doubted Fowler’s advice, but the cake was a masterpiece of simplicity, showing off our precious Maine berries delightfully. And the texture was all feathery lightness.
One of the reasons for its great texture is that stiffly beaten, sugared egg whites are folded into the batter as the final step, producing these pleasing squares. Another highlight is the candy-like crust that forms on the top while baking because you sprinkle on a light coating of sugar before putting it in the oven.
The recipe is from Marjorie Standish in her cookbook, Cooking Down East. She was for 25 years the voice of Maine food in her column “Cooking Down East,” which appeared in the Maine Sunday Telegram until she retired in 1973. Those were the days when local food was simple and wholesome–all those stews, chowders and soups; big plain cakes, feather light yeast rolls, brambles and hermits in the cookie jar.
The recipe calls for shortening but I used butter and I think it offers better flavor, though shortening would lighten up this cake even more.
This recipe is adapted from "Cooking Down East" by Marjorie Standish
Ingredients
- 2 eggs, separated
- 1 cup sugar, divided
- Pinch salt
- 1/2 cup shortening or butter (at room temperature)
- 1 1/2 cups sifted flour, divided
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/3 cup milk
- 1 1/2 cups fresh wild Maine blueberries
Instructions
- Grease an 8-inch square pan with butter or shortening. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
- Sift before measuring the flour and whisk in the baking powder and salt. Set aside.
- Beat the eggs whites until stiff, beating in at the last minute about 1/4 cup of the sugar that’s used in the cake recipe. Set aside
- Meanwhile cream the shortening or butter with the sugar in a stand mixer until light and fluffy. Add the vanilla. Add unbeaten egg yolks and mix until very smooth and creamy.
- Save about 1/4 cup of the flour and then add the remaining flour alternately with the milk, beating on very low speed until the flour is fully incorporated.
- Put the berries into a small bowl and sprinkle on the reserved flour, mixing gently with your hands until the berries are lightly coated. This will prevent the berries from sinking to the bottom while the cake is baking.
- Fold the beaten whites into the batter, mixing gently with a rubber spatula until thoroughly blended. Gently fold in the floured berries.
- Put into the prepared dish and sprinkle over the cake about 1/4 cup of the sugar. Bake for 50 minutes or until a cake tester comes out clean. Allow to cool for 20 minutes before cutting into squares. Serve plain or with whipped cream or ice cream. Store in an airtight container on the counter for no more than a few days.
