The first blueberries of the season made an appearance at the Union Square farmers’ market and I had to have them. I bought two pints, one to eat raw (with yogurt) and the other to use for baking. Since we have house guests right now, I wanted to make something a bit nice, so I tried out a recipe that I have been wanting to make for a while: blueberry upside-down ginger cake.
I assembled the ingredients and got right to work. First, you combine melted butter with brown sugar and lemon juice and pour it into a pan lined with parchment paper. Next, line the bottom with the blueberries.
After that, I made the cake batter and spread it evenly into the pan.
Bake, cool, invert, unmold. The cake was delicious warm, but I think that the molasses was a bit strong. Next time I’ll up the ginger a bit and cut down on the molasses. Our guests (Christina and Rich) were pleased; as was Dave. It also made an excellent breakfast the next morning.
Blueberry Upside-Down Ginger Cake
From Luscious Berry Desserts by Lori Longbotham
Serves 8-10
Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons ground ginger
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature, divided
3/4 cup packed dark brown sugar
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 pint ripe blueberries, picked over
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup unsulphured molasses
2 large eggs, at room temperature
1/4 whole milk, at room temperature
Procedure:
1. Position a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Whisk together the flour, ginger, baking soda, cinnamon, cloves, and salt in a medium bowl.
3. Melt 1/4 cup of the butter in a small saucepan. Remove from heat and stir in the brown sugar and lemon juice. Pour mixture into a 9-by-2 inch cake pan (or 9-inch springform pan), greased and lined with parchment. Sprinkle the blueberries evenly over the bottom of the pan.
4. Beat the remaining 1/2 cup butter with an electric mixer on medium-high speed until light and fluffy. Add the granulated sugar and beat until light and fluffy. Beat in the molasses until blended. Add the eggs one a time, beating well after each addition and scraping down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula as necessary. Whisk in half of the flour mixture. Whisk in the milk and then the remaining flour mixture. Transfer the batter to the pan and smooth the top with a rubber spatula.
5. Bake for 60 to 65 minutes, or until a wooden pick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool the cake in the pan for 15 minutes. Run a table knife around the inside of the pan and invert the cake onto a serving plate. Serve warm, cut into wedges.
