The light in here is terrible at the moment, as we recently had a mishap, for which the person responsible is really awfully sorry, and has offered to pay for the replacement of the glass top to my table. It took out the overhead light as well. Were I in charge of the world, I think I'd do away with glass altogether, but until then, or at least until the fixture is replaced, you'll have to bear with my inadequate photograph lighting. If you know anyone in my area that does antique glass restoration, I'm all ears.
This cake, I swear I folded the blueberries in, yet they promptly sunk to the bottom of the cake. I even tossed them with flour first. It is still a very attractive looking cake, and rather simple to put together as well. I made a few changes to the recipe (replacing golden syrup for molasseses, increasing some of the spices) but overall, I followed the recipe and the results were nice (save for the sinking berries which is no fault of the author). I also did not sift onto a piece of waxed paper as indicated in the recipe, using a bowl instead. I hardly think it matters, but I drop everything I touch these days, and fumbling with waxed paper wouldn't work well for me. I've made nearly all the cakes in this book, and while a few were less than perfect, the majority were really nice, not-too fancy cakes. I'm pretty sure I've said this before, the book is well worth the price if only for the wonderful apple spice cake which has become a family favourite. I strongly encourage you to seek out the book if you enjoy baking cakes that are lovely without being overly fussy.
The sauce was made from a cup of leftover blueberries, some sugar and water. When the berries were soft, I forced it through a sieve to catch the seeds and then chilled it until it gelled slightly. The whipped cream, is simply heavy cream whipped with icing sugar to stabilise it, and then a bit of the syrup mixed in. If I'd been thinking, a slice of ginger in the berries would have made the whipped cream a nice compliment with the cake, but I only thought of it after the fact.
For The Cake (from Country Cakes, by Lisa Yockelson)
1 1/2 cups cake flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons ground ginger
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
2/3 cup blueberries, picked over
1/2 cup unsalted butter softened at room temperature
1/2 cup plus 3 tablespoons vanilla sugar, or plain sugar
5 tablespoons light molasses (I used Golden Syrup)
1 extra large egg at room temperature
2 extra large egg yolks at room temperature
1/2 cup sour cream at room temperature
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour an 8 inch springform pan and set aside.
Sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and spices. Remove 1 tablespoon and toss the blueberries in it. Set aside. In a large mixer bowl, beat the butter on medium speed for 2 minutes. Add the sugar, and beat another 2 minutes. Beat in molasses/syrup. Add the egg, and beat it in. Add the yolks, and beat them in. With the mixer on low speed, add half the flour mixture, then all of the sour cream, then the remaining flour. Fold in the berries. Pour into pan and gently push the batter about 3/4 inch up the side to keep the cake level as it rises. Place the cake on a rack in the lower third of the oven (I put mine on a baking sheet-just in case) and bake 40-50 minutes or until it tests done, and cake pulls slightly away from sides. Cool 10 minutes on rack. Remove ring, and then cool completely.
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