blueberry buttermilk cake

i grew up watching my dad drink buttermilk.  he always tried to get me to drink some, but one whiff of the sour/weird/this-smells-like-bad-milk smell always sent me running the other direction.

as i grew older, however, i learned the joys of at least cooking with buttermilk.  our family's cutout Christmas cookie recipe uses buttermilk, so do my grandma's famous amish sugar cookies (which are like pillows of melt in your mouth MAGIC... golly, i should do a post on those!).

anyway, i had some leftover buttermilk in my fridge from cooking over the holidays, and i am craving something delicious/want something yummy in the morning for breakfast, so i decided to make something i found thanks to pinterest (my new potential time-waster/but trying hard to have tons of self-control!!! lol).  i modified the recipe though, to include wayyy more buttermilk, less sugar, and maple syrup (if this is a breakfasty type cake of COURSE it needs maple syrup!!!!!!) ;)  hope you enjoy this recipe :)

blueberry buttermilk cake

adapted from alexandra cooks

ingredients

1/2 cup butter, room temp. (aka 1 stick)

1-2 tsp. fresh lemon zest (i zested most of a smallish lemon)

3/4 cup granulated sugar

2 Tablespoons maple syrup

1 egg

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 cups flour (separated into 1/4 cup flour and then the rest: 2 and 3/4 cups flour)

1 pint fresh blueberries (rinsed and drained)

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2ish teaspoon salt

1 scant cup buttermilk (shake it WELL before you pour it!)

1-2 Tablespoons of demerara sugar (the fancy "sugar in the raw"/natural sugar type)

preheat oven to 350 degrees F., and butter an 8x8 inch square pan (or whatever smallish pan you want to use).

cream together the butter, lemon zest, and sugar in a large bowl.  add in maple syrup, beat.

beat in egg and vanilla.

in separate small bowl, mix the 1/4 cup of flour with the blueberries; toss to coat them. set aside.

in a different small-ish bowl, sift together the rest of the flour (2 and 3/4 cups) with the baking powder and salt.

incorporate the flour mixture and buttermilk into the big batter bowl by alternating each item.  

 **note** the original recipe called for 1/2 cup buttermilk, so start there to be safe. when my batter was completed, i thought it looked too thick, so i felt the freedom to add more.  the reason i wrote "scant" is cause, in my typical style (which is SO not appropriate for baking!!) i just poured the extra buttermilk out of the jug and didn't measure it.  wah wah.  BUT i bet i poured in.. oh.. at least another 1/4 cup.. maybe another 1/2 cup? (on top of the 1/2 cup that was already in the batter)-- so that's why I said SCANT cup.  just pour to your liking.  feel the freedom.  (baking doesn't always have to be serious!...... if it HAD to be.... i wouldn't do it.)  :)

 

when your batter is completed to your liking, gently fold in your flour-dusted blueberries.

 

pour batter into your prepared pan and sprinkle the whole cake with the demerara sugar. (if you don't own demerara sugar, NOW IS THE TIME to get some!! soooooo worth having in your kitchen!! (i buy it for our little sugar bowl---- it's one of my fave simple things to sweeten coffee [and tons of other stuff]) :)

 

 

pop in the oven for...... okay, again, i have failed----- i didn't set a timer and didn't pay attention as to when exactly i put the cake in the oven.... but the original recipe called for 35 minutes at 350-- so start there, and just check it with a toothpick for doneness. but fyi: i bet mine cooked for more like 45-60 minutes.. yeah. 

 

sorry it's all crumbly-- it was still SUPER warm when i cut this piece; i was just soooo hungry i couldn't resist!  i promise if you let it cool your piece won't fall apart like this. :)