Blueberry pudding cake is one of those desserts where you swear the first time you make it that the recipe is wrong. You may look at the pan after you pour in all that boiling water and say to yourself, “There’s no way this is going to work.” I thought exactly the same thing, but it does work. During the long stay in the oven, the boiling water combines with the thick batter, creating a kind of crunchy cake topping that floats on top of the juicy blueberry filling. It’s rustic and homey, almost like a cobbler, and tastes best served warm with some vanilla bean ice cream or gelato.
Michael’s mom made this for us last summer, and we all liked it so much we couldn’t wait to make it when blueberry season came around again. The preparation is very easy and it only takes a few minutes to put this luscious dessert together, then the oven does all the real work.
Make it Dairy-Free or Vegan
With a few easy substitutions, you can make this dairy-free or vegan. I have not tested this recipe with gluten-free flour.
[Updated August 9, 2011.]
Blueberry Pudding Cake
Equipment
- 8-inch square baking pan, greased
- 2 medium mixing bowls
Ingredients
- 2 cups blueberries (fresh or thawed from frozen)
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice (freshly squeezed)
- 1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
- 1½ cups granulated sugar (divided)
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ cup lowfat milk (or dairy-free milk)
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter (melted, or dairy-free butter)
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 1 cup boiling water
Preparation
- Preheat the oven to 350° F/175° C.
- In one of the bowls, toss the blueberries with the cinnamon and lemon juice. Pour into the prepared baking pan.
- In the other bowl, whisk together the flour, ¾ cup sugar, and baking powder. Stir in the milk and melted butter. The batter will be very thick. Spoon over the blueberries.
- In the same bowl, stir together the remaining sugar and cornstarch and sprinkle over the batter. Slowly pour the boiling water all over the pan. The water will rise up and pool, but it will combine with the batter as it cooks.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 55 to 60 minutes, until the cake tests done and is golden and a little crunchy on top. Serve warm with ice cream.
Kathy - Panini Happy says
This is just the kind of summer dessert I love best - simple, uses fresh summer fruit and goes great with ice cream. 🙂
Rosa says
A delicious dessert! Irresistible.
Cheers,
Rosa
SharleneT says
Just in time for my neighbor's blueberry patch to offer up this year's goodies. What a great solar recipe! Especially for demonstrations. Thank you for sharing. yummy!
Twitter: SolarChief
Natalie (The Sweets Life) says
I've seen chocolate versions of this, but never blueberry. This looks awesome!
Cindy Haskin-Popp says
Recipe is printed out. This looks fabulous. Thanks for posting it!
Diana's Cocina says
It's been a while since I've had a pudding cake. This one looks delicious!
deborah says
Has anyone tried this using Splenda?
Andrea says
Hi Deborah. I don't cook with the Splenda baking mix, so I'm not exactly sure how it would turn out.
Elle says
Andrea, this looks like such a wonderful seasonal dessert! I've made chocolate and lemon pudding cakes but never with blueberries. I can see this recipe with the blueberries replaces by blackberries, too. Bravo!
Andrea says
Thanks Elle. We've also tested it with cherries and peaches with good results. 🙂
Heather I. says
Oooh, pudding cake! What a great combo, this is making my mouth water. I would also consider your cherry idea, yums!
Jen says
This looks delicious!! Just wondering, how much sugar should be divided? 1 cup for the flour mixture and 1/2 cup with the 1 Tbsp cornstarch? Your recipe doesn't state this
Andrea says
Hi Jen. Thanks for catching that error, I corrected the recipe.