Blueberry Squares

I made these twice last week.  The first time was on Thursday.  I hadn't baked anything since the browned butter bites I made in late September, and I was feeling a bit rusty. 

 

It is always an adjustment to bake in a new kitchen, and I found myself reaching for where I kept the measuring cups in the apartment, but those cabinets just don't exist here in the house.  In the end, I ended up pulling all of the measuring cups out onto the countertop so I wouldn't have to break my stride to find them.  Once I located all of my baking tools, I was able to make the squares and get them in the oven.  The end result was just what I wanted:  a moist cake that was studded with blueberries and covered in a delicate topping.  

Are you wondering why I didn't post these sooner?  Trust me, I wanted to!  I wasn't able to plate and photograph the squares on Thursday night because it was late when I pulled the pan out of the oven.  On Friday, I got home and it was already too dark to photograph, so I decided to do it on Saturday.  On Saturday, I completely forgot about them, and then when I went to photograph them on Sunday, the topping had pulled so much moisture from the air that it was a soggy mess.  So on Sunday, into the trash went the remainders of the first batch, and out came the butter, sugar, and mixer.  I had a new batch baked before 9 am, which I completely attribute to daylight savings time.

I consider myself quite lucky this year because I got to experience daylight savings twice.  The first time was in Spain the week before last, and the second time was last weekend.  Having an extra hour of sleep is amazing, but have two extra hours of sleep is just divine.  Vacations and extra sleep aside, you should make some blueberry squares.  They are a nice way to remember summer now that we are in the midst of fall.

Notes:
I used frozen blueberries to make this, although fresh blueberries would also work.  If you use frozen ones, just make sure that they are not frozen in a syrup or have additional sugar added.  Do not thaw the berries before you add them or they will pop and turn to mush when you stir them into the batter.  The batter for this will be incredibly thick/stiff, and adding frozen blueberries will make the dough more stiff.  Don't be afraid to use your fingers to pat the mixture towards the edge of the pan.  As the blueberries bake, they will release some of their juices and you will end up with a surprisingly most cake.  I used a metal pan to make these; if you use a glass pan, you may need to increase the baking time.  This recipe uses a whole egg:  the yolk goes into the batter, and the white is beaten separately to create a topping.  I like to use the whisk attachment for my immersion blender to beat the egg white.  The egg white topping on this is incredibly hygroscopic due to the brown sugar that is added (i.e., it pulls moisture from the air), so plan on eating this the day or day after you make it; otherwise, the topping will turn into a sloppy wet mess. 

Adapted from Cape Breton Squares and Cookies

Ingredients:
1 cup all-purpose flour
¾ teaspoon baking powder
¼ salt
1½ teaspoons cinnamon
¼ cup milk (non-fat is fine)
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
¼ cup granulated sugar
1 egg, separated
1 teaspoon vanilla
zest of 1 lemon
1½ cups blueberries (individually frozen or fresh)
¼ cup dark brown sugar

Yields 1 8x8-inch pan (cut into 9 squares or 16 squares)

Whisk, beat, stir, beat, bake:
Place an oven rack at the middle level of the oven, and preheat to 350ºF.  Butter and flour an 8x8-inch baking pan, and set aside.  In a medium-sized bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon, and set aside.  In a small bowl or measuring cup, whisk together the milk and vegetable oil, and set aside.  In a separate bowl, cream together the butter and granulated sugar.  Add the yolk, extract, and zest, and beat until they are fully incorporated.  Add half of the flour mixture, beat until no more streaks remain, then add half of the milk mixture, and beat until it is incorporated.  Repeat the mixing process with the remaining flour and milk.  Fold in the blueberries, and scrape the batter into the prepared pan, smoothing it out with a spatula or your finger tips so it reaches the edges of the pan.  In a separate bowl, beat the egg white until stiff peaks form.  Crumble the brown sugar into the beaten egg white, and whip until it is completely incorporated.  Scrape the egg white mixture on top of the blueberry batter, and spread it out until the batter is completely covered.  Place the pan in the preheated oven, and bake at 350ºF for 35-40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean.  Once cooled, cut the cake into squares.  Wrap leftovers tightly, and store at room temperature, but make a point to eat them within a day.  

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