Blueberry bread was one of my favorite cakes of childhood. My Aunt Ann was the first to discover this recipe, but had shared it with my mother long before I came along. My mother would make it in the summer with my Uncle Jimmy’s fresh blueberries; in good years, she would freeze the overflow in bags and make this in the depths of winter. The blueberries scattered through the cake tasted like a burst of August, even on the most frigid February Sunday.
Blueberry bread
aka Aunt Ann’s Prize Coffee Cake
We always referred to this as 'cake', and it wasn't until I baked this to bring as a hostess gift that I heard it referred to as ‘bread’. My hosts toasted and buttered it for breakfast—another revelation to me. To this day, whenever anyone refers to ‘quick bread’, this is what I think of first. The recipe below is exactly as transcribed into my recipe notebook from one of my mother’s index cards more years ago than I can remember.
1. Mix:
- ¾ cup sugar
- ¼ cup shortening*
- 1 egg
2. Stir in:
- ½ cup milk**
3. Sift and stir in:
- 1½ cups flour
- 2 tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp salt
If adding blueberries:
- ½ cup flour extra
- 2 cups blueberries
- juice & zest of 1 lime
(If adding cranberries:
- 1-1½ cups cranberries
- ½-1 cup orange juice)
Top with cinnamon sugar. Bake in a greased and floured loaf pan at 375F for 20-35 minutes.
Makes 1 loaf.
* Nowadays I substitute the same amount of unsalted butter.
** Sometimes I replace half the milk with plain yogurt; this makes for a denser, moister cake.
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