Blueberry Spoon Cake
Published June 6, 2024
- Total Time
- 1 hour 5 minutes
- Prep Time
- 5 minutes
- Cook Time
- 1 hour
- Rating
- Notes
- Read community notes
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Ingredients
Yield:One 9-inch cake (6 to 8 servings)
- 4tablespoons/58 grams unsalted butter, softened, plus more for the dish
- 14ounces/397 grams fresh blueberries (about 2½ cups)
- ¾cup/150 grams granulated sugar, plus more for sprinkling
- Zest and juice of ½ lemon (about 1 tablespoon juice)
- 1large egg
- ½cup/113 grams sour cream, plus more for serving
- ½cup/76 grams yellow cornmeal (preferably fine grind)
- ¾cup/63 grams almond meal
- 1teaspoon baking powder
- 1teaspoon kosher salt (such as Diamond Crystal) or ½ teaspoon fine salt
- Vanilla ice cream, for serving (optional)
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (8 servings)
288 calories; 14 grams fat; 6 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 3 grams monounsaturated fat; 1 gram polyunsaturated fat; 38 grams carbohydrates; 3 grams dietary fiber; 26 grams sugars; 4 grams protein; 289 milligrams sodium
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
Powered byPreparation
- Step 1
Heat the oven to 350 degrees and grease a 9-inch glass pie dish.
- Step 2
Put the blueberries, ¼ cup/50 grams sugar and the lemon zest and juice in a small saucepan. Bring to a simmer over low heat, stirring here and there for 3 to 5 minutes, or until the sugar has dissolved and the berries are glossy. Turn off the heat and set aside.
- Step 3
In a medium bowl, cream the butter and remaining ½ cup/100 grams sugar together until the mixture is pale and fluffy. Add the egg and stir to incorporate fully before adding the sour cream. Stir to combine and set aside.
- Step 4
In another medium bowl, combine the cornmeal, almond meal, baking powder and salt, and whisk. Make a well in the center and pour in the wet ingredients. Whisk to form a smooth batter, then pour into the greased pie dish, leveling the batter with a spatula or the back of a spoon.
- Step 5
Spoon over the blueberries with their juices somewhat evenly distributing them and leaving some batter uncovered. Sprinkle with sugar to evenly cover the surface. Set the pie plate on a baking sheet to catch drips.
- Step 6
Bake for 45 to 55 minutes, or until the cake has taken on a deep nutty color around its edge, and a blueberry-less area of sponge springs back when you press with a finger. The jammy areas will feel underbaked and that is good.
- Step 7
Leave to cool a little before serving warm with sour cream or vanilla ice cream, or both.
Private Notes
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Cooking Notes
Debbie
We loved this! I've been baking gluten-free for 32 years, and this crust was the best of all the spoon breads or cakes I've tried (and I've tried dozens). Helpful hint: Use Anson Mills yellow corn meal (yup, it's fine). Also, Anson Mills GF flour blend has become my basic flour blend when I don't take the time to make my own blend of about 10 whole-grain GF flours. I order in bulk and keep bags in the freezer. I learned about AM from NYT Cooking, my favorite food resource!
SusanL
Not really. Almond flour is made from blanched almonds. Almond meal from almonds with the skins still on. So the flour is about the same color as yellow cornmeal; the meal is darker. They can pretty much be used interchangeably tho' in my experience.
lu
Some unsolicited advise… if you’re looking for a delicious blue berry spoon cake and this one seems like Too Much (zesting a lemon, almond powder, etc), i recommend a recipe called strawberry spoon cake (any kind of berries will do). it’s in nyt cooking
Joyce S
My 9-inch glass pie plate was not big enough and the cake overflowed onto the baking sheet. I will use a bigger pie plate (maybe a 10-inch?) next time.
Annie
I have not made the recipe, but I would generally NOT substitute buttermilk for sour cream. Though the tang would be good, the consistency would be all wrong. My go-to replacement would be Greek yogurt, and not less thank 2% milkfat.
Rebecca
Delicious AND a little overdone at 45 minutes. I'll add a smidge more butter and check it at 40 minutes next time.
Lynne
Thanks for this perfect gluten free recipe! It is as decribed... just the right sweetness and very moist.
Bianca Russo
Has anyone tried this with frozen blueberries? I freeze fresh blueberries for baking.
Sheila L.
Made exactly as directed. Absolutely delicious. Will make many more times this summer.
dimmerswitch
Tender delicious cake and the berries are the star. Made per recipe for ingredients and technique except scaled it back by half, we were serving 3 and full recipe serves 6-8, bcuz instinct said this would be best consumed on day baked. Used 6" (5.75" inside) baker. Perfect outcome. Done at 42 min. Not too sweet but enough that didn't want ice cream as go with so used dollop of slightly whipped 5% Greek yogurt. Perfect pairing. Keeper.
Simon
totally hear you on niche ingredients -- in so many areas of the country it can be tough. however for this one you could make your own almond meal if you have raw almonds and a blender or food processor. for those with more access, i substituted almond flour and it turned out great.
Molly Ward
This was just “meh” for me. The cake was actually a bit salty—I used 1 tsp Morton kosher salt, as directed, so I didn’t expect to taste it. And otherwise it had no real flavior. Would have liked a bit of vanilla or lemon in the cake part. No spillover issues, and I used a blend of blueberries, blackberries and smashed bing cherries. End result was just bland. Won’t make again.
Kris
Ok, tree nut allergy. Can I sub more cornmeal for the almond meal?
chrissi
Absolutely delightful. One of the best desserts I’ve had in quite some time. The quality of the berries matters a good bit, of course, but if you can get your hands on some good ones, the variety of textures and flavors this cake offers is something to write home about. And, it’s easy! Thank you!
CarolB
Delightful easy delicious spoon cake! Had to make a few substitutions based on inventory. Frozen blueberries,1/2 Greek yogurt & 1/2 cream p/o sour cream, corn masa flour p/o cornmeal, added a touch of almond extract and baked in 9.5" pie plate for 40 minutes in air fryer. Once cooled, cake popped right out of glass pan. It went completely in one sitting with not a crumb left!
cv
added a teaspoon of vanilla to the batter -- was a great move!
Barbara Sieg, am
I'm allergic to nuts. Can I substitute all purpose flour for the almond meal?
JC
We have tree nut allergies here, can I substitute something for the almond flour?
XtineK
The gluten-free feature might be important to some, but to me the cornmeal-almond meal combo made for a dry, gritty texture. For those who are looking for an easy berry dessert and don't care about the gluten-free thing, there are many better options out there.
Simon
Really loved this recipe, as did my partner who is not GF. Based on berries in fridge I cut it in half and supplemented with a few strawberries; cooked in individual ramekins and it was fantastic.
R Ray
I used a deep dish glass pie pan (same one I use for quiche) and it did not spill over while baking. Easy & quite tasty!
dimmerswitch
Tender delicious cake and the berries are the star. Made per recipe for ingredients and technique except scaled it back by half, we were serving 3 and full recipe serves 6-8, bcuz instinct said this would be best consumed on day baked. Used 6" (5.75" inside) baker. Perfect outcome. Done at 42 min. Not too sweet but enough that didn't want ice cream as go with so used dollop of slightly whipped 5% Greek yogurt. Perfect pairing. Keeper.
Debbie
We loved this! I've been baking gluten-free for 32 years, and this crust was the best of all the spoon breads or cakes I've tried (and I've tried dozens). Helpful hint: Use Anson Mills yellow corn meal (yup, it's fine). Also, Anson Mills GF flour blend has become my basic flour blend when I don't take the time to make my own blend of about 10 whole-grain GF flours. I order in bulk and keep bags in the freezer. I learned about AM from NYT Cooking, my favorite food resource!
Frustrated
Another classic NYT recipe because it includes ingredients we cannot find in small-town flyover land. Almond meal? Not in my grocer or any near by. We had quit looking at NYT recipes because they seem made for big city folks, but this one looked interesting, especially because it will be blueberry picking time in a few weeks.
Simon
totally hear you on niche ingredients -- in so many areas of the country it can be tough. however for this one you could make your own almond meal if you have raw almonds and a blender or food processor. for those with more access, i substituted almond flour and it turned out great.
step
Can I substitute Jiffy corn muffin mix?
dimmerswitch
step - You ask if you can sub Jiffy corn muffin mix. No, you cannot and end up with this recipe. But if you want to add blueberries to the Jiffy mix you can make blueberry corn muffins.
Rebecca
Delicious AND a little overdone at 45 minutes. I'll add a smidge more butter and check it at 40 minutes next time.
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