Blueberry Lemon Pudding Cakes

We’re in the height of blueberry season here in New York state – yay! – and recently, we went blueberry picking with some friends. Set me loose in a pick-your-own patch and I’m happy happy!

We went picking at a beautiful farm with rows upon rows of blueberry bushes; it was late in the day, so the sun was casting a really pretty light across the bushes. We picked for probably over an hour; occasionally chatting, occasionally (okay, more like frequently) popping blueberries into our mouths, and occasionally steeped in silence while we hunted for the biggest, sweetest berries.

Between B and I, we picked 3 quarts of blueberries. I froze some, we had some in our yogurt this week with granola, and with another portion, I made these blueberry lemon pudding cakes. My friend made these for us with her batch of blueberries while we were visiting, and I couldn’t resist recreating it at home (she also gave me the idea for the scallion & goat cheese muffins!) She made it in a single pan, and I baked mine in individual ramekins. Either way, they’re delicious: a dense, rich biscuity cake with juicy, lemon-spiked blueberries baked into and underneath it. We ate them both at room temperature and cold from the fridge…really, it doesn’t matter what temperature the cakes are; they’re just delicious!

Oh, and this month’s Sugar High Friday theme? It’s berries, of course! So, I’m sending these blueberry lemon pudding cakes over to Susan, aka Food Blogga, for the roundup.

What’s your favorite blueberry dessert?

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Adapted from Gourmet, July 2005

I upped the lemon juice in these, and added a little zest as well. I love the tart lemony brightness against the blueberries and the cake. Also, if you’d rather bake this in one pan, any kind of roughly 9×9 pan should work just fine.

View printable recipe

Ingredients

1/3 cup plus 1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup water
zest and juice of 1 lemon
1 teaspoon cornstarch
10 oz blueberries (2 cups)
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 3/4 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 large egg
1/2 cup whole milk
1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly
1 teaspoon vanilla

Directions

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F, and butter 6 ramekins (3/4 cup or 1 cup volume.)

Stir together 1/3 cup sugar with the lemon juice, lemon zest, water and cornstarch in a saucepan. Stir in the blueberries, then bring to a simmer. Simmer for 3 minutes, stirring occasionally, then remove the blueberries from the heat.

In a bowl, whisk together the flour, remaining sugar, baking powder, and salt.

In a separate bowl, whisk together the egg, milk, melted butter, and vanilla. Add the flour mixture and mix until just combined.

Spoon the batter into the prepared ramekins, dividing evenly. Pour the blueberry mixture over the batter in each ramekin, again, dividing evenly. The blueberries will sink down a bit. Bake about 25 minutes, until a tester inserted into the middle of one of the cakes comes out clean. Remove and cool on a rack. Serve at room temperature, or chilled.

Makes 6.