This blueberry gingerbread is an ideal dessert for late summer or early fall: a moist, tender cake warmed with spices and dotted with juicy blueberries.
We just returned from a week in Vermont, which was full of lake swims, chairlift rides (a four-year-old’s favorite), and plenty of maple creemees. One afternoon my friend Molly took us blueberry picking at a spot where the bushes were overflowing with perfectly ripe berries. They were organic, so the kids happily snacked right in the patch—our boys each ate at least two pints. Owen loved picking but was a little nervous about seeing a bear (perhaps we’ve read Blueberries for Sal a few too many times).
The next evening Molly served a blueberry-peach crisp topped with plain Greek yogurt. I was skeptical at first—no ice cream?—but the tart, creamy yogurt complemented the fruit beautifully. I made a note to use that idea in my next berry dessert, and as soon as we got home I turned the last of our blueberries into this gingerbread cake.
This blueberry gingerbread is perfect for the transition from summer to fall—lightly spiced with cinnamon and ginger, tender from buttermilk, and sweetened with a touch of molasses. It’s rustic and unfussy: simple enough for a weeknight dessert, elegant enough for a dinner party, and lovely served at brunch with a spoonful of full-fat plain Greek yogurt.
The cake comes together quickly and can be finished in under an hour. If you don’t own a springform pan, a standard 9-inch round or square pan will work just as well.
Blueberry Gingerbread
Ingredients
-
1 3/4
cups
all-purpose flour -
1
cup
granulated sugar -
1
teaspoon
cinnamon -
1
teaspoon
ground ginger -
1/4
teaspoon
ground allspice or nutmeg
optional -
1/2
teaspoon
Kosher salt -
1
teaspoon
baking powder -
1
cup
buttermilk -
1/4
cup
unsalted butter
melted -
1/4
cup
vegetable oil -
1/4
cup
molasses -
1
large egg -
1
cup
fresh blueberries -
2
tablespoons
turbinado sugar
or regular granulated sugar
Instructions
-
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Spray a 9-inch round springform pan with nonstick spray, dust with flour, and tap out the excess.
-
In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, cinnamon, ginger, allspice or nutmeg (if using), salt, and baking powder.
-
In a separate bowl, whisk the buttermilk, melted butter, vegetable oil, molasses, and egg. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and stir just until combined—the batter will be slightly lumpy. Pour the batter into the prepared pan, scatter the blueberries across the top, and sprinkle with turbinado or granulated sugar.
-
Bake 40–45 minutes, until the cake begins to pull away from the sides and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool the cake in the pan on a wire rack, remove the sides of the pan, slice, and serve.
