Wonderful breakfast or dinner cake. Especially during the season when fresh blueberries are available
Blueberry filling:
1 pint of wild blueberries or 2 cans of blueberries drained
2 Tbs cornstarch
¼ cup sugar dissolved in water to make syrup
1 tsp. Lemon juice
Cake:
2 cups plus tbs. Sifted all purpose flour
2 tsp. baking powder
½ tsp. Salt
6 Tbs. unsalted butter, room temp.
6 Tbs. vegetable shortening
2/3 cups plus 1 Tbs. Sugar
2 large eggs
½ tsp. vanilla extract
¼ tsp. Cinnamon
Put rack in lower third of oven.
To make blueberry filling: Thoroughly drain blueberries reserving ¾ cup of syrup. Combine the cornstarch and sugar thoroughly in a med. Saucepan. Gradually blend in the syrup. Bring to a slow boil, stirring constantly until thickened, smooth and clear. Remove from heat. Gently fold in the berries and lemon juice.
To make cake: Sift together 2 cups of flour, the baking powder and salt using a triple sifter. Set aside.
Put the butter and shortening in a large mixing bowl. Using a wooden spoon cream until smooth. Gradually add 2/3 cup of the sugar, mixing until well blended. Blend in the eggs, 1 at a time, mixing well. Add the vanilla, Stir in dry ingredients in 3 additions, mixing just until incorporated after each addition. You should have soft dough.
Put aside 2 Tbs. Of the dough for crumb topping. Spread a little more than half the remaining dough into the buttered baking dish. Spread evenly with hand till it smooth. Cover with blueberry filling.
Place 1 Tbs. Flour in small dish. Make balls the size of walnuts from remaining half of dough. Roll each ball in the flour and flatten in your hand in the thickness of 1/8 inch. Arrange the dough disks over the blueberries, starting at the edges of the baking dish and working toward the center. Continue until filling is covered.
Make topping: In a small bowl, combine the reserved 2 Tbs. Dough, 2 Tbs. flour, 1 Tbs. Sugar and the cinnamon. Work with pastry blender until coarse crumbs are formed. Sprinkle the topping over dough. Bake in preheated oven 30-35 minutes.
Remove from oven. Cool before serving.