The delicate blueberry cake with an enticing cinnamon streusel cleverly named to reflect the effect it has on boys’ habits.
The classic blueberry coffee cake is adorned with a charming name and a fascinating story. It was in 1954 that a fifteen-year-old student who was from Chicago called Renny Powell submitted a blueberry-flavored coffee cake recipe for the Pillsbury $100,000 Recipe and Baking Competition (the precursor to the present-day Pillsbury Bake-Off). Renny placed second in the junior category for her recipe. The recipe was well-named “Boy Bait” because of its habit-forming effects on men who were just starting out.
Simple, moist and jam-packed with berries Boy bait has been very popular since. My version is updated using lemon zest to enhance the flavor of blueberries and a scrumptious cinnamon Streusel topping. It’s certainly not necessary to be a teenager to enjoy it, however I can confirm that a 14-year-old is a fan which suggests that Renny was on to something .
ingredients
° 1 cup softened butter
° 2 cups white sugar
° 2 eggs
° 1 cup sour cream
° 1 C. vanilla extract
° 1 ⅝ cup all-purpose flour
° 1 C. baking powder
° ¼ tsp. salt
° 1 cup fresh blueberries
° ½ cup brown sugar
° 1 C. cinnamon
° ½ cup pecans
° 1 tbsp. icing sugar
*DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven
350°F. Grease and flour a 9 inch Bundt pan.
In a large bowl, cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat the eggs one at a time, then stir in the sour cream and vanilla. Combine flour, baking powder and salt; stir into batter until blended. Stir in blueberries. Pour half of the batter into the prepared pan.
In a small bowl, combine brown sugar, cinnamon and pecans. Sprinkling half of this mix on batter in the pan. Pour the remaining batter on top, then sprinkle the rest of the pecan mixture.
Use a knife or thin spatula to swirl the sugar layer into the cake.
Bake 55 to 60 minutes in the preheated oven, or until a knife inserted into the crown of the cake comes out clean. Cool the mold on a wire rack.
Invert onto serving platter and tap firmly to remove from pan. Sprinkle with icing sugar just before serving.
Enjoy !