Aunt Dolly's Blueberry Tea Cake

Yeah. You read it right. I have an Aunt Dolly. Unfortunately, this awesome lady passed away many years ago. She was my Mommom Sacco’s sister. And, Aunt Dolly was known for her baking prowess.

Each year around this time when the blueberries are in full effect in my parts of Jersey, me and my fam are known to make a bazillion Blueberry Tea Cakes in honor of Aunt Dolly.

(Hammonton is coined the Blueberry Capital of the World. Just beyond my back yard are acres upon acres of blueberry fields. My first paid job was packing blueberries at age 12. Do you get the blueberry-hued picture here?)

One of the reasons we make the cake all the time – aside from it being majorly awesome – is that my brother-in-law Bob is a mac daddy produce broker and he bestows upon us many ginormous flats of delish blueberries throughout June and July. So, you gotta do something with the blueberries besides putting them on your cereal or eating them as a snacky-poof.

If you’re not familiar with Hammonton, I will give you a heads up: When you visit Hammonton folk who happen to grow blueberries or other awesome produce-type goods, they will give you their seasonal goods to enjoy. Don’t try to protest. My people will also force-feed you, and in the fall bottles of homemade wine or packages of freshly hunted deer meat may appear on your doorstep (but not in a spooky Godfather-kind of way.)

For some reason, Hammonton speaks in food and in giving. Which is probably one of the reasons I still live here and convinced my darling Husband that he really, truly wants to live here.

(Actually, he loves calling H’town home. I think at first he thought my parents would be up our grill 24/7 in a very “Everybody Loves Raymond” kind of way, but they are SO not like that. At all. (OK. So I talk to my Mom and sisters five times a day. That could happen if we lived anywhere.)

Anyway, onto the Blueberry Tea Cake. First off all, blueberries are the star of the show but the crumb topping really makes the cake stand out. The cake is fab with your coffee or tea. But, I’ve been known to have a piece with a glass of delish wine (oh, how I miss my vino) or a healthier glass of milk. Whatever your pleasure.

The cake is made in a good ol’ square Pyrex dish. The recipe calls for two cups of blueberries, but since you’re my peoples I will give you a few Jersey Girl tips: Throw in a few extra handfuls of blueberries and always use the biggest blueberries you can find.

Aunt Dolly’s Blueberry Tea Cake

2 cups sifted flour
2 tsp. baking powder
½ tsp. salt
1 egg
¼ cup butter or margarine, at room temperature
¾ cup sugar
½ cup milk, at room temperature
2 cups blueberries, plus a handful

Crumb topping

¼ cup sugar
¼ cup flour
½ tsp. cinnamon
¼ cup butter or margarine, at room temperature

Mix together sugar, flour and cinnamon. Cut in butter to form coarse crumb.

To make the cake:
Sift together flour, baking powder and salt. Cream butter. Gradually beat in sugar. Add egg and milk. Beat until smooth. Add dry ingredients. Fold in blueberries. Spread batter in greased and floured 8 or 9-inch square pan. Sprinkle with crumb mixture. Bake in hot oven at 375 degrees for 40-45 minutes.

Please note: The Jersey Girl uses extra large eggs.