MADDIE DAY here, with a yummy cake and a giveaway for you.
But first, as it is the twenty-fifth anniversary of September 11, 2001, I want to honor the memory of those who died in the attacks and the thousands who died later as a consequence of rushing in to help and from working around the wreckage. I remember being glued to the television with everyone else in the company cafeteria all day. I burst into tears once I arrived at my semi-rural home north of Boston because it was such a beautiful fall day and such horror had happened a few hours south of us. May this never happen again.
Blueberry
Ricotta Cake
Adapted from Barefoot Contessa
Ingredients
1¼
sticks butter, at room temperature
1
cup granulated sugar
3
eggs, at room temperature
1
cup ricotta
2
tablespoons sour cream
1
teaspoon vanilla
1
teaspoon grated lemon zest
1¼
cups all-purpose flour
1
tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
2
cups blueberries, divided into thirds
(Option) Powdered (confectioner's) sugar
Directions
Preheat
the oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour a 9-inch round springform pan,
shaking out any excess flour.
Place the butter and sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and beat on medium speed for 3 minutes, until light and fluffy, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. With the mixer on low, add the eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Add the ricotta, sour cream, vanilla, and lemon zest and mix well. (The batter will look curdled.)
In a small bowl, stir together the flour, baking powder, and 1 teaspoon salt. With the mixer on low, slowly add the dry ingredients to the batter, mixing just until incorporated. With a rubber spatula, fold two thirds of the blueberries into the batter.
Transfer the batter to the prepared springform pan and smooth the top. Scatter the remaining blueberries on the cake, pressing them lightly into the surface.
Bake for 45 to 55 minutes, until a toothpick or cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean. Transfer to a wire rack and allow to cool in the pan for 15 minutes.
Remove the sides of the pan.
Serve warm or at room temperature.
Option: Dust with sifted powdered sugar. We felt it was sweet enough not to need the dusting.
Readers: What fruit do you enjoy in a cake? If you'd like, share your memory of September eleventh in 2001. I'll send one commenter a copy of the new book, Murder at the Toy Soldier.
My previous recent releases are:
We hope you'll visit Maddie and her Agatha Award-winning alter ego Edith Maxwell on our web site, sign up for our monthly newsletter, visit us on social media, and check our all our books and short stories.
Maddie Day (aka Edith Maxwell) is a talented amateur chef and holds a PhD in Linguistics from Indiana University. An Agatha Award-winning and bestselling author, she is a member of Sisters in Crime and Mystery Writers of America and also writes award-winning short crime fiction. She lives with her beau and sweet cat Martin north of Boston, where she’s currently working on her next mystery when she isn’t cooking up something delectable in the kitchen.
