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When life gives you blueberries...

One thing that always reminds me of my Oma is Schwarzbeerkuchen (blueberry cake).  Oma and Opa used to bike into the woods to pick the wild blueberries around their home in Nuernberg, Germany.  These weekly trips would yield baskets of blueberries which Oma would then lovingly bake into delicious blueberry cakes.  She did both a yeast dough or a Quarkoel Teig which is made from the German quark (similar to a ricotta in texture).  When we immigrated to Canada, my Mama found that quark was not readily available (foodies weren't a thing back then haha), so she adapted the recipe to be made with sour cream.  This was my favourite summer cake as a child and still is today.  I can vouch that it is delicious with blueberries from Bavaria, the Kootenays in British Columbia and wherever the store bought ones happen to be from on a given day. 

Since blueberry season is upon us, it's time to turn yummy, plush blueberries into that delectable Schwarzbeerkuchen.  Enjoy!



Recipe:

250 g fat free sour cream
1/3 cup oil (canola type)
1/3 cup milk
1 egg yolk
1/2 tsp vanilla
100g granulated sugar

300g flour
17g baking powder (4.5 tsp.)
sprinkle of salt

Topping:
1 egg white
3-4 cups fresh blueberries
1-2 tbsp. granulated sugar

Combine sour cream, oil, milk, egg yolk, vanilla and sugar.  Combine dry ingredients in a separate bowl sifting in flour.  Combine dry ingredients into wet slowly, taking care not to overmix dough.

Press dough into 9x13 pan (I use glass so that I can easily see when the bottom is done) using a bit of oil on your fingers so that the dough doesn't stick to them.  Press the sides up for enough crust to contain your blueberries.  Paint the egg white on top of the dough and onto the crust.  Sprinkle blueberries evenly on top and sprinkle a small amount of granulated sugar (1 - 2 tbsp.) over top of the berries. 

Just before popping into oven

Bake in a 425 degree oven for approximately 25 minutes.  The crust should be nicely brown and, if you are using a glass pan, the bottom should be a pale brown. 

Invite some friends over for Kaffee and serve with whipped cream :)  Enjoy!

From my loving home,

Monika



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