Makes: At least 6 servings
Time: About 1¼ hours
Underneath the crust of this cake lies a soft, gooey berry center. It’s the perfect summer comfort cake, but you can substitute other seasonal fruit for the blueberries as well. Serve it with fresh Whipped Cream.
1. Heat the oven to 325°F. Grease an 8- or 9-inch ceramic or glass baking dish or a deep-dish pie plate.
2. Put the butter, buttermilk, ½ cup of the sugar, the egg yolks, flour, and salt in a blender or food processor and purée until smooth. Pour the batter into a bowl. Stir in the blueberries and zest and set aside.
3. In a separate bowl, beat the egg whites with an electric mixer until they hold soft peaks. Sprinkle in the remaining ¼ cup sugar while beating until the whites hold stiff peaks; fold them into the batter gently but thoroughly.
4. Turn the batter into the prepared dish and put the dish in a baking pan large enough to hold it comfortably. Add enough warm water to the baking pan to come to within an inch or so of the top of the dish (for more information about water baths, see page 337). Transfer carefully to the oven and bake until the top is golden brown and the center is just set but slightly jiggly, about 50 minutes.
5. Remove the cake from the oven and cool the dish completely on a rack, cover with plastic wrap, then refrigerate until chilled, at least 3 hours, before serving. This will keep in the refrigerator for 2 or 3 days.
GINGER-CARDAMOM PUDDING CAKE Trade in berries for spices: Substitute 1 tablespoon freshly grated ginger and 2 teaspoons cardamom for the blueberries.
BLUEBERRY-CORN PUDDING CAKE Combine summer’s best ingredients for one heck of a cake: Reduce the blueberries to 1 cup and shave the kernels off 1 corn cob; combine the kernels and blueberries. Substitute whole milk for buttermilk. Cut the bare cob into pieces and steep them in the milk; chill the milk and cobs in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour. Strain the milk and proceed with the recipe as directed.