We’re sharing retro recipes this week and when I stumbled upon this one from ATK, I found the name hilarious, and I kid you not, as it was cooling on the counter, my husband wandered in and said, “Oooooh, what’s that?!”, circling it like our dog does when we sit down for dinner at night. If I were in a position to be luring males with baked goods, this would have done it. It’s a tender cake that’s quick to whip up, with juicy berries and a light cinnamon sugar topping that kind of caramelizes as it bakes. You can serve it as-is or with whipped cream or ice cream. It’s as appropriate for breakfast or brunch as it is for dessert!
The retro factor is just a bonus. I have kind of this weird obsession with the 1960s. I just find this time period endlessly fascinating–I love the style and nostalgia and literature and movies and TV shows and history and the sense that things are changing in huge and monumental ways. Plus, look at my mom reading a Redbook as a newlywed in 1963–isn’t she adorable?
One thing that never goes out of style is a good recipe and this one stands the test of time!
Ingredients Needed
- all-purpose flour
- baking powder
- salt
- unsalted butter – softened
- light brown sugar
- granulated sugar
- eggs
- buttermilk (whole, if you can track it down), or whole milk
- fresh or frozen blueberries
- granulated sugar
- ground cinnamon
How to Make Blueberry Boy Bait
- Preheat oven and prepare a 9×13″ baking pan.
- Mix dry ingredients in one bowl, cream butter and sugars in another, then add eggs.
- Alternate adding dry mixture and milk until batter is smooth.
- Fold in blueberries and spread batter in the pan.
- Top with extra blueberries, then sprinkle with cinnamon sugar.
- Bake until golden and set in the center.
- Cool before slicing, and serve warm or at room temperature with optional toppings.
Storage & Other Tips
- This recipe is great served warm, or at room temperature. It’s even better topped with sweetened whipped cream, or vanilla ice cream.
- For longer term storage, you can wrap cooled sliced tightly and store at room temperature (they’ll stay good for 2 or 3 days), or freeze individually for longer term storage (2 or 3 months).
Frequently Asked Questions
No, it doesn’t matter. If you’re using frozen, my only recommendation is to keep them frozen until you fold them into the batter. That way, they won’t bleed and discolor the batter. You’ll definitely get some purple streaks with frozen, which is kind of pretty.
Yes! This cake makes ahead beautifully. Just bake, let it cool, and store as usual. It also freezes well, as wrapped individual pieces, or as a whole.
This often happens when the oven door is opened too early and the cake isn’t fully baked yet. Try keeping the door closed for the bulk of the baking time, and turn the light on in the oven, rather than opening the door. Also, ensure your baking powder is fresh.
Yes! We’ve never tried it so we can’t guarantee success, but in theory it should work very well. Try raspberries, blackberries, or strawberries diced small and see how it goes. If you try it, leave us a comment and let us know how it goes!
Blueberry Boy Bait
Equipment
Ingredients
Cake
- 2 cups 10 ounces all-purpose flour, lightly spooned into measuring cups and leveled with a knife
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 sticks unsalted butter softened
- ¾ cup light brown sugar
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 3 eggs, large
- 1 cup buttermilk whole, if you can track it down or whole milk
- ½ cup fresh or frozen blueberries 2 ½ ounces
Topping
- ½ cup fresh or frozen blueberries 2 ½ ounces
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
Instructions
- Adjust the rack to the middle position (or the best position in your oven for baking) and preheat the oven to 350℉. Grease and flour a 9×13″ baking pan and set aside.
- Whisk the flour, baking powder, and salt together in a medium bowl. In a large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar on medium high speed for about 3 minutes or until light and fluffy (scrape the bowl as necessary).
- Add eggs one at a time, beating until just combined after each addition. Reduce speed to medium and add ⅓ of the flour mixture, mixing until incorporated. Mix in ½ cup milk. Repeat with another addition of flour, the rest of the milk, and ending with the final addition of flour. Gently fold in the blueberries and spread the batter into the prepared pan.
- Scatter the additional topping blueberries over the batter. Combine the sugar and cinnamon and sprinkle over the blueberries. Bake for 35 – 45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
- Allow to cool for 20 minutes (or completely) before cutting into squares and serving. Serve warm or at room temperature, plain or with drizzled with cream and blueberries or topped with sweetened whipped cream or vanilla ice cream.
Questions & Reviews
I always double the blueberries. It makes it twice as good.
My grandchildren love this recipe. My eldest being 33, his mom 57.. I have one in the oven now. They’re always excited when I drop one off at their house.been making it for 50 yrs I double blueberries
This would be good with chocolate base and rasperries also
We just moved into a late 1960’s house and hardly anything has been changed in it. For our house warming party I am going to make this, along with the banana slush punch. Thank you!
Wow I don’t know if I should love you or hate you for this one! 🙂
So yummy and easy to make, and so hard to resist sneaking another piece! This will become a regular.
My family has a recipe something like this called “Huckleberry Pudding”, except you use blueberries instead of huckleberries, and its not a pudding! And its from the early 1900’s, one of my great-grandmother’s recipes. The ‘pudding’ is very much like this, and then you serve it with a warm vanilla/butter sauce. To die for!
I halved this and baked it in a round cake pan and it was AMAZING!! Nice and moist. Great for breakfast, too! Thanks!
I first saw the name of this recipe, Blueberry Boy Bait, over at Smitten Kitchen a few years ago and instantly loved the name. I’ve made this several times and it’s wonderful. Definitely a 50’s/60’s recipe keeper!
I made this last night and it tasted delicious! How do you keep the blueberries from sinking to the bottom though? All of mine ended up on the bottom of the dish during the baking process.
Try tossing the berries in a tablespoon or two of flour before you add them to the batter.
Hope that helps!
Hi Kate, I LOVE this post. The picture of Margaret is one of the best I’ve seen. I was in high school during the late 60’s and have great memories of mini skirts and go-go boots. Love to you, Lorraine
ps—this recipe looks fabulous!
I see that you are taunting us with your Blue Bell ice cream. How not fair is that? I think I’ll have to make this on Sunday, minus the Blue Bell, since they won’t sell that to us here in Utah.