Blueberry Cake

Happy 4th of July and fresh blueberries! That combination calls for a cake to start the day! (And I picked 15 pounds of delicious blueberries and want to use them!) This is a wonderful cake--great for breakfast, tea, or dessert. The buttery, shortbread-like cake is nicely scented with lemon and the blueberries really shine. And it's beautiful! The batter is spread in the pan first and the blueberries are spread on top, allowing the cake to surround the berries while baking. This recipe is adapted from Simply Recipes and is definitely one I'll add to my favorites! Great for company! Continue for recipe.
Blueberry Cake

1 cup plus 1 teaspoon of all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
4 oz (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
1 cup sugar
zest from one lemon
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
2 large eggs
2 cups blueberries, rinsed and drained (may substitute frozen blueberries, or substitute some of the blueberries for raspberries)
1 teaspoon lemon juice
Confectioner's sugar

1 Preheat oven to 350°F. Lightly grease a 9-inch springform pan and dust with flour. Or use a 9-inch round cake pan that has been greased and dusted with flour. (I use baking spray with flour.)

2 In a small bowl combine 1 cup of flour with the baking powder and salt and set aside.

3 In a mixer bowl, rub the lemon zest into the sugar with your fingers, releasing the lemon fragrance into the sugar.

4 Using the mixer, cream the butter, sugar and vanilla until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the eggs one at a time and beat until well blended. Reduce the speed of the mixer to low and gradually add the flour mixture. Beat until smooth. Pour the batter into the baking pan.

5 In a medium bowl, combine the berries with the remaining teaspoon of flour and the lemon juice. Spoon the berry mixture over the batter. (Don't skimp on the berries--overlapping is ok; they don't have to be in a single layer.)

5 Bake for 1 hour at 350°F, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Remove from the oven and let the cake cool in the pan for 10 minutes. If using a springform pan, slide a thin knife around the edges of the cake to release it from the pan before you release and remove the springform. If using a cake pan, slide a thin knife around the edges of the cake and invert it onto a cake rack. Transfer the cake to a platter, berry side up. Dust the cake with confectioner's sugar before serving.