Blueberry Boy Bait
A recipe guaranteed to help you snag that dreamy boy you’ve had your eye on.
It doesn’t seem you can go wrong with a promise like that, right? This is a storied recipe that dates back to one of the earliest Pillsbury Bake-Offs in 1954; this recipe was entered in the junior division by a 15-year-old girl who named it after the affect that it had on the teenage boys she shared it with. Turns out after they had one bite they were hooked. It seems she knew what she was talking about – the recipe won second place! I love the back story of this recipe, and makes me feel all warm and fuzzy and nostalgic…
Middle school and high school dances. Whispering and giggling with your girlfriends. Listening to an unhealthy amount of cheesy pop ballads.
Ahh, those were certainly the days. They rushed by so quickly, didn’t they?
This is a rich, moist, buttery cake full of blueberries that straddles the line between coffee cake and dessert cake, although I think I would lean more towards coffee cake. Plus, labeling it a coffee cake makes it okay to eat for breakfast as well as dessert! The cinnamon-sugar crunch on top really takes the cake to an oh-my-goodness, stratospheric level. When I first took a bite the flavor almost reminded me of a donut – not quite fried, but with that same reminiscent flavor of something buttery and sinful that you just can’t help but enjoy.
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The recipe technically serves 12, which is great for dessert or breakfast, but if you want to have a bit with your afternoon tea, I would recommend cutting a piece in half. Bonus, it will last twice as long! Speaking of, you could also wrap this and freeze it if you want to take your time eating it.
What are some of your favorite “days gone by” memories?
At the end of each summer my best friend and I would make mix tapes of all the songs that reminded us of some part of those carefree months of fun. We labeled the tapes “The Best of Us” and even gave them volume numbers! Some of the songs were about boys we had crushes on or crazy nights we had being goofy girls. We made them by laying next to the radio, waiting for the song to come on so we could hurry up and press record. Totally old school. I don’t have a cassette player anymore, but I still have all of the tapes in a box. And 15 years later I can still remember what each and every song meant to us. Great memories…
One year ago: Irresistible Peanut Butter Cookies
Two years ago: New York-Style Crumb Cake
More recipes using blueberries:
Blueberry-Buttermilk Scones
Blueberry Crumb Cake
Blueberry Cheesecake Ice Cream
Fresh Blueberry Pie
Orange Berry Muffins
Blueberry Boy Bait
Ingredients
For the Cake:
- 2 cups (250 g) all-purpose flour, plus 1 teaspoon
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon table salt
- 16 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened, (2 sticks )
- ¾ cup (165 g) packed light brown sugar
- ½ cup (100 g) granulated sugar
- 3 eggs
- 1 cup (244 ml) whole milk
- ½ cup (74 g) blueberries
For the Topping:
- ½ cup (74 g) blueberries
- ¼ cup (50 g) granulated sugar
- ½ teaspoon (0.5 teaspoon) ground cinnamon
Instructions
- 1. For the Cake: Adjust the oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour a 13x9-inch baking pan.
- 2. Whisk 2 cups of flour, baking powder, and salt together in a medium bowl; set aside. With an electric mixer, beat the butter and sugars together on medium-high speed until fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add eggs, one at a time, beating until just incorporated. Reduce speed to medium and beat in one-third of the flour mixture until incorporated; beat in half of the milk. Beat in half of the remaining flour mixture, then remaining milk, and finally remaining flour mixture. Toss the blueberries with remaining 1 teaspoon flour. Using a rubber spatula, gently fold in blueberries. Spread the batter into the prepared pan.
- 4. For the Topping: Scatter the blueberries over top of the batter. Stir the sugar and cinnamon together in a small bowl and sprinkle evenly over the batter. Bake until toothpick inserted in center of cake comes out clean, 45 to 50 minutes. Cool in pan 20 minutes, then turn out and place on serving platter (topping side up). Serve warm or at room temperature. (Cake can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.)
- * Note: If using frozen blueberries, do not let them thaw, as they will turn the batter a blue-green color.
Did you make this recipe?
Leave a review below, then snap a picture and tag @thebrowneyedbaker on Instagram so I can see it!
I have made this many times exactly as written. It always gets rave reviews. Your recipe is easy to follow, as always. I believe it will also be good with peaches or cherries. There are only 2 of us, so if we don’t have company, I cut portions and wrap in cling film for the freezer. It is as good as fresh when thawed.
I’ve been eyeing this recipe for months, mostly because of the cute name, and the lovely write-up. Blueberries are very hard to get where I live, and I had to pay a fortune to buy them for this recipe. But it’s all so worth it! This turned out to be one of the best things I ever baked..and I actually bake a lot of desserts. So, thank you Michelle, for posting this. You are my baking superstar now! ????
Your topping looks even better than mine did – I think I left it in a little shorter. My husband loved it, as promised :) I’d just had dental work done and with my numb tongue, I couldn’t taste it as well, but it was good enough to want to make again!
I made this once with fresh blueberries and it was just such delicate moist and fluffy cake!! me and my husband loved it so much, today we are having dinner with friends and i’ll be trying this recipe again but with frozen blueberries.
Hi Michelle,
I have a strange question…can I use water instead of whole milk? I’m sorta lactose intolerance and try to avoid milk when possible…
Actually I might try using almond milk instead
Hi Diana, I was actually going to suggest something like almond or rice milk. Good luck and enjoy!
I am in love with this dessert (even more so after getting a piece out of the freezer) and just posted it on my blog. I would absolutely love if you’d come take a look. Here’s the link: http://piesandplots.net/blueberry-boy-bait/ Thanks for such a great recipe!
I love the way the innocent li’l blueberries sit on top of the pillowy batter!
can i use frozen berries, or does it have to be fresh.
Yes, you could use frozen blueberries.
Im making this right now. Well Im done now. Im just waiting for it to get out of the oven. I will let you know if I like it. :)
All I can say is, delicious! I purposely bought blueberries at the grocery just so I could make this.
So happy you loved it and the special blueberry purchase was worth it :)
That certainly does look good. I love those old Pillsbury booklets. I just bought one the other day for the 9th National Bake-Off. The only problem trying to make some of the recipes is that some of the Pillsbury items don’t exist anymore.
This looks really good though. I may have to try it.
this is a fabulous cake! mine looked way different than yours though, and i’m trying to figure out why! all of the blueberries sunk to the bottom (granted, i got them from the farmers market yesterday morning and they were huge – but, oh, so good!). my cake also seems much taller than yours. i didn’t have whole milk but used 2% – maybe that’s it? thanks for sharing this!
I just had the same experience; mine was much fluffier and taller. I used whole milk, so I don’t think that’s the issue…
Is it possible we over beat the eggs?
Regardless, this is AMAZING. I love baking and have very high standards in what I consider amazing. THIS IS IT!
Thank you for sharing!
Love your blog; I’m a very regular stalker of it :)
Boy bait.. What could be better? :P
“Blueberry Boy Bait”….who can resist a recipe with a name like that?!? Don’t they say cinnamon is one of the most appealing scents to men?
I made this on Sunday and it was a huge hit! My family remarked that it was their favorite thing I’ve ever baked, and I bake a LOT.
Note for anyone who wants to know: I swapped out for egg whites, white whole wheat flour, skim milk and margarine and it turned out fabulous.
This may help me re-snag my husband!
This cake is actually a days gone by memory and I cant believe my eyes when I see someone else has this recipe. It is a family classic shared by my mom and her sister and as soon as blueberry season hits, its a start of summer must have for me. So happy this recipe keeps getting passed on because there is nothing like it
I’ve already snagged my boy, but I’m sure this would keep him hooked! Looks delicious!
These look great.
I keep threatening to make blueberry muffins, but might just do this instead.
Great post :)
I just made this recipe this morning and my goodness, the crispy, cinnamon topping was wonderful but the burst of blueberries was like a symphony in my mouth. This will be a favorite recipe for summertime. So happy this one got shared.
Ali, I agree, the blueberries are awesome! So glad you liked this!
What a cute story! My husband loves blueberries so I know he would be a huge fan of this treat!
I LOVE the story behind this recipe! How fun! It looks really good, especially that top crust. WOW!
Butter and blueberries, two of my favorite things. Those cheesy pop ballads, not so much. It makes me cringe when I remember my friend and I listening to REO Speedwagon’s “Time for Me to Fly” way too much during summer vacation. Thanks for a great post.
What an interesting name and story. Love how it looks too. I can’t wait to try this recipe.
This looks perfectly moist and wonderful.
That looks wonderful! Blueberries with that crumble topping – YUM!
I will have to teach my girls to make it…..lol….
thanks for sharing
I adore everything about this post. Totally made me smile :) Mix tapes from the radio were the best! The cake looks amazing too. YUM!