Blueberry Lemon Buckle & Winter Sangria

I have had a craving for a strange combination for a couple of weeks now: blueberry and lemon. I don’t really like the two by themselves, but together? Wow. The tangy lemon mixed with the warm blueberries, all packed into a buttery cake with a buttery crumbly topping. Mmmmmmmmm, it’s so good.

Robert and Debbie left today for the Mayo Clinic to try to figure out what is going on with Robert (my father-in-law), so I was pretty lonely.  Sarah (my BFFF) has been with me all day. We made winter sangria and this cake, then watched Dinner For Schmucks, which is a very funny movie if you love Steve Carell like we do. Here is the pretty sangria we made:

It’s been a great day, and to top it off, my husband gets home in an hour! I am very excited to see him again! I finally get to cook dinner for him again (and Sarah, too).  So, on to the Blueberry Lemon Buckle:

Crumb Topping:

1/2 cup flour

1/3 cup sugar

1/8 teaspoon salt

Zest of 1 lemon

1/4 cup (1/2 stick butter) at room temperature

In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, salt and lemon zest. Add butter, using a fork, piece by piece and mix until butter is reduced to the size of peas. Loosely cover the bowl and place in the refrigerator.

Cake:

6 tablespoons butter, at room temperature, plus extra for greasing the pan

1 1/2 cups plus 2 tablespoons flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

3/4 cup plus 1/3 cup sugar, divided

Zest of 1 lemon

2 eggs

1/2 cup buttermilk

2 cups blueberries, fresh or frozen, divided

Crumb topping, chilled

Juice of 2 lemons (about 6 tablespoons)

1. Heat the oven to 350 degrees and lightly grease a 9-inch square baking pan.

2. In a medium bowl whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and nutmeg.

3. In the bowl of a stand mixer, or in a large bowl with a hand mixer, cream together the butter, three-fourths cup sugar and lemon zest until light and fluffy, 3 to 5 minutes. Add the eggs, one at a time, scraping down the sides of the bowl after each addition.

4. Stir the flour mixture into the bowl, a third at a time, alternating with the buttermilk, until both the flour mixture and buttermilk are evenly incorporated into the batter. Gently fold 1 cup of the blueberries into the batter.

5. Spread the batter into the prepared pan and distribute the remaining blueberries evenly over the top of the batter. Remove the crumb topping from the freezer and sprinkle it over the berries.

6. Bake the cake until it is lightly golden and firm on top, and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, 45 to 50 minutes. Rotate the pan halfway through for even baking.

If you like, you can make a lemon glaze from the lemon juice (from the 2 lemons) and some sugar. Just mix 1/3 cup sugar with lemon juice in a sauce pan and heat on medium-low hear, stirring occasionally, for 6-8 minutes.

Sarah, why didn't we get pictures of you eating this yummy cake?

The Winter Sangria recipe came from the Rachael Ray magazine. Meijer was out of pomegranates, but it was still good!

1 1/2 cups sweet red wine (or cherry juice for the non-alcholic version)

1/2 cup fresh pomegranate seeds

1 naval orange, halved and sliced 1 inch thick

1 granny smith apple, cored and thinly sliced into wedges

1 1/2 tablespoons pure maple syrup

3 cups seltzer

1 cup ginger ale

ice

Mix all ingredients, except seltzer and ginger ale, together. Chill for at least an hour. When ready to serve, add seltzer and ginger ale and serve over ice. Yum!

Have a great Saturday, world!