Blueberry Cake

If you’re like me, you’ve got a ton of blueberries.  I may have purchased a massively huge box of them… way more than we needed.

I didn’t have a ton of supplies on hand, so I thought I’d go with a blueberry cake.  My family has been using this recipe for years, but unfortunately I don’t know where it originated so I can’t credit it.

First, preheat your oven to 350 Degrees Fahrenheit.

Sift together 2 cups Flour, 2 teaspoons Baking Powder and 1/2 teaspoon Salt in a bowl.  Mix well and set aside.  The bowl doesn’t have to be too big because this is all that goes into it.

So far so good.  In another (bigger) bowl, beat 1/4 cup Margarine with 3/4 cup Sugar.  I used Parkay squares and just cut them in half.  If you do that, just leave the other half out because you’ll need it later on.

I didn’t soften the margarine at all, so when mixing it actually turned out kind of crumbly.

It’s not a big deal if it looks like that.  Next you beat in 1 egg.  Just mix it until the whole thing is creamy and it takes care of the margarine issue.

Stir in 1/2 cup Milk

Remember those dry ingredients you set aside?  Time to add them back in.  I’ve made this particular recipe a few times, and I find it’s easier to add a little and mix it, add a little more, then keep going until it’s all incorporated.  Otherwise you just wind up with flour everywhere.  You’ll wind up with something that’s really thick.

Mix in 1 teaspoon of Vanilla Extract to the dough.

Once it’s all together, fold in 2 cups of Blueberries.  If you’ve always wondered what that means, just bring the edges of the mixture up over the berries until it’s all mixed together.  Don’t work the dough any more than you absolutely have to.

No matter what you do, you’ll crush some berries.  Don’t sweat it.

Pretty, right?  Now just spread this out into an 11×7 inch pan.  I didn’t have one, so I used an 11×8 inch pan.

Now grab another bowl and toss in that other 1/4 cup Margarine (you may want to soften it just a little if needed), 1/4 cup Flour, 1/2 cup Sugar and 1 teaspoon of Cinnamon.

Mix these all together and then sprinkle it over the top of the blueberry mixture in the pan.  It doesn’t need to cover every spot and it doesn’t need to be perfect.

Toss it in the oven for about an hour (or until a toothpick comes out clean) and let cool before trying to eat so you don’t get burned.

Success!

Cinnamon Pear Jam

I was recently in St. Stephen, New Brunswick and just outside the town (technically in Oak Bay) there’s a little place called Troy’s Country Market.  They have a little takeout that sells burgers and the like, plus a little market where you can purchase farm fresh fruits and veggies, blueberry wine, jams and other such goodies.  I think it’s part of Tuddenham Farms because that’s where the blueberries and wine are from, plus other things I’m sure.  Anyway, I picked up a bottle of Cinnamon Pear Jam, opened it in the car and then immediately went back and got a second jar.  I wish I’d bought more, because I’m almost through the first bottle.

The cinnamon taste isn’t overpowering at all, but you can certainly tell it’s there.  My brain didn’t jump immediately to pear flavor either.  It almost felt like apple, but if you really stop and taste it you’ll know it’s pear.  Although it’s jam, the “chunks” are far and few between.  It’s more like jelly that way, but the consistency is running enough to be jam.  Soooo good!

In case you can’t read the phone number on the jar, it’s (506) 466-1840.  If you’re in the area, Troy’s is certainly worth a stop!