If there is a food that serves as a metaphor for our current lifestyle, it has to be a blueberry upside-down cake. Seriously, hear me out. Here is a vintage dessert that turns the idea of a cake literally on its head. A cake where the unexpected substitution of blueberries for pineapple can become the new normal. It proves that, “Hey, you can do this!”
Another upside-down aspect to this cake recipe is its provenance. I came across it a decade ago when I served as a judge for the James Beard Foundation’s annual cookbook awards. Among the three dozen books they sent me to evaluate was Michelin chef Thomas Keller’s ad hoc at home, a volume of “family-style” recipes. One of my duties was to test recipes from my three favorite books. I chose Keller’s recipe for Pineapple Upside-down Cake, because it looked easy enough for a home cook with basic baking experience. In his introductory notes to the recipe, Chef Keller suggests the possibility of substituting other fruits. I can’t even take credit for that.
Why did I choose blueberries over other berries or fruits such a apples, pears or mangoes? I admit my choice was a simple matter of timing. An eighteen ounce container of Driscoll blueberries was on special the day I shopped at Whole Foods.
In the last decade I’ve succumbed to purchasing Driscoll berries in the winter when locally grown berries are not available. The Driscoll company is the oldest and largest purveyor of a seasonless supply of berries grown and shipped from all over the hemisphere. I can’t vouch for the sustainability of their agricultural or environmental practices. That’s a subject for a future post once we get past our current trauma.
BLUEBERRY UPSIDE-DOWN CAKE
Pan Schmear (enough for 2 recipes)
1 stick (4 oz) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 1/2 tablespoons honey
1/2 teaspoon dark rum
1 cup, packed, light brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon vanilla paste or extract
Kosher salt
18 oz. fresh blueberries
Cake
1 1/3 cup cake flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 stick (4 oz) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla paste or extract
2 large eggs
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon milk
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Generously butter a 9” cake pan. Line the bottom with parchment paper. Butter the paper. Set aside.
Combine the butter, honey, rum, sugar and vanilla in the workbowl of a mixer fitted with a paddle, and blend until smooth. Spread 1/2 of the mixture over the parchment liner in the bottom of the pan. Seal the remaining schmear in a jar or bag and refrigerate for a month or freeze for longer a longer period. Lightly salt the schmear.
Rinse and pick over the blueberries. Dry them by gently rolling in a towel. Spread them evenly over the schmear.
Sift the flour and baking powder into a bowl. Combine the butter and sugar in the workbowl of a mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, and mix over medium speed for 3 minutes, stopping twice to scrape down the sides of the bowl. Mix in the vanilla, the eggs, one at a time and the milk stopping to scrape down the sides of the pan after each addition. Add the flour mixture in 3 installments, scraping after each addition, and stir until just combined.
Spread the batter over the berries, smoothing the top to completely cover them. Bake for 45 -50 minutes, turning the pan after 15 minutes if you do not have convection baking. The cake is done when a toothpick inserted in the center comes out dry. A digital thermometer will read 200 degrees when inserted in the center..
Remove the pan to a rack to cool for 20 -30 minutes. Run a knife around the edge of the pan, place a serving plate on top of the pan and invert the cake onto the plate. Remove the parchment if it sticks to the fruit.
Serve warm or at room temperature with crème fraîche
Recipe adapted from ad hoc at home by Thomas Keller.
