We're Off To Blueberry Land

I love summer. The warmth on my face, the cool grass on my toes, the sunlight in the evening, and most of all...the amazing fruit. I really make an effort to put it to use since I only have a couple months to enjoy it while it is in season. Blueberries were on sale a couple weeks ago, so you could say I went a little crazy and tried to make as many blueberry things as possible. Here are some favorite blueberry recipes for you, in case you get your hands on some of those perfect little beauties.

P.S. Blueberries are really good for you by the way, so I don't see the harm in considering these as healthy recipes...right?

Blueberry Tart (I made this with just blueberries the first time, then I used strawberries and blueberries the next time around...try it, you won't believe how easy it is.)

Watermelon-Blueberry Ice Pops

Lemonade Layer Cake

Cake:

1 1/3 c. granulated sugar

6 T. butter, softened

1 T. grated lemon rind

3 T. thawed lemonade concentrate

2 tsp. Vanilla

2 large eggs

2 large egg whites

2 cups flour

1 tsp. Baking powder

1/2 tsp. Salt

1/2 tsp. Baking soda

1 c. fat-free buttermilk

(or you can substitute with 1 Tbsp. lemon juice mixed with enough milk to

measure up to 1 cup, and let it sit for 5 minutes)

Frosting:

2 T. butter, softened

2 tsp. Grated lemon rind

2 tsp. Thawed lemonade concentrate

1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

8 ounces 1/3-less-fat cream cheese

3 1/2 c. powdered sugar

1. Preheat oven to 350.

2. To prepare cake, place first 5 ingredients in a large bowl. Beat with mixer at

medium speed until well blended, about 5 minutes. Add eggs and egg whites, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition.

3. In a separate bowl, combine flour, baking powder, salt and baking soda with a whisk.
4. Add flour mixture and buttermilk alternately to sugar mixture, beginning and ending with the flour mixture. Beat well after each addition.
5. Pour batter into 2 (9 inch) round cake pans coated with cooking spray. Tap pans once on counter to remove any air bubbles. Bake for 20 minutes or until toothpick inserted into center comes out clean. Cool in pans 10 minutes on a wire rack before removing from pans. Cool cakes completely on wire rack. (If baking the cake as cupcakes, bake them for about 20 minutes.)
6. To prepare frosting, place 2 T. butter and the next 4 ingredients (through cream cheese) in a large bowl. Beat with a mixer at high speed until fluffy. Add powdered sugar, and beat at low speed just until blended. Chill 1 hour.
7. Place 1 cake layer on a plate, spread with 1/2 c. frosting. You can add berry jam on top of this layer if you want, or lemon curd (it’s next to the jam in the grocery store). Top with remaining cake layer. Spread remaining frosting over top and sides of cake. Store cake loosely covered in the refrigerator (a large bowl works well, that way you won’t smudge the frosting). You can sprinkle the top of the cake with fresh berries before serving and it looks so pretty!

Serves 8-12, or 24 cupcakes.

Blueberry French Toast (sorry, I forgot to take a photo!)

1 loaf rustic French bread

4 eggs

1/2 c. milk

1/4 t. baking powder

1 tsp. vanilla

4 1/2 c. fresh or partially thawed frozen blueberries

1/2 c. sugar

1 T. cornstarch

1 tsp. cinnamon

Slice the bread into 1-inch thick slices. Arrange the bread slices in a single layer in a buttered 9x13 baking dish. Whisk the eggs, milk, baking powder and vanilla until smooth. Pour over the bread, turning to coat completely. Chill, covered, up to 8 hours or overnight. (I've skipped the chilling part before and it works just fine too.)

Combine the blueberries, sugar, cornstarch and cinnamon in a bowl and mix well. Spread evenly over the bread slices. Bake at 450 for 20-25 minutes. Garnish with powdered sugar.