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Makes
one 8- or 9-inch cake
Author Notes
Cake can be spicy. Cake can be weird. This one is both. The recipe name—Blueberry Cake with Peanut Streusel—is deceptively ordinary. Read beyond the title and look at the ingredient list, which calls for cayenne pepper, peanut butter, and lime juice. Like your typical blueberry cake, it's polka-dotted with plenty of indigo berries, but unlike that old standby, you can use some of the leftover ingredients to make a cold noodle salad. This cake recipe reminded me to try more desserts with unusual spices.
Slightly adapted from "Home" by Bryan Voltaggio. —Sarah Jampel
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Ingredients
- For the peanut streusel
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3/4 cup
(95 grams) all-purpose flour
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1/2 cup
plus 2 tablespoons (113 grams) granulated sugar
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7 ounces
(125 grams) roasted unsalted peanuts
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1/2 cup
(70 grams) graham cracker crumbs
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1 1/2 teaspoons
(3 grams) ground cinnamon
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1/4 teaspoon
(1 1/2 grams) fine sea salt
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1/4 teaspoon
(1/2 gram) cayenne pepper
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1/2 cup
(113 grams) unsalted butter, room temperature
- For the cake and the glaze:
-
The cake:
-
2 1/2 cups
(315 grams) all-purpose flour
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1 1/2 teaspoons
(9 grams) baking powder
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1/2 cup
(113 grams) unsalted butter, room temperature
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1 1/2 cups
(300 grams) granulated sugar
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1/2 teaspoon
(3 grams) fine sea salt
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3
large eggs
-
13 tablespoons
plus 1 teaspoon (200 grams) sour cream
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6 tablespoons
(85 grams) vegetable oil
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1 teaspoon
(4 grams) vanilla extract, or the seeds from 1 vanilla bean
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2 cups
(350 grams) fresh or frozen blueberries
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Zest from 2 limes
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The glaze:
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1/2 cup
(120 grams) sour cream
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3 tablespoons
(45 grams) buttermilk
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2 tablespoons
(35 grams) smooth peanut butter
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2 teaspoons
(10 grams) honey
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Grated zest and juice of 1 lime
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1/2 cup
(65 grams) confectioners' sugar
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1/2 teaspoon
(3 grams) fine sea salt
Directions
- For the peanut streusel
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Preheat the oven to 350° F. Put the flour, sugar, peanuts, graham cracker crumbs, cinnamon, salt, and cayenne in a food processor. Pulse 2 or 3 times to blend and chop the peanuts.
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Add the butter and pulse until moist, coarse crumbs form. Transfer to a bowl and refrigerate until needed.
- For the cake and the glaze:
-
To make the blueberry cake, butter an 8- or 9-inch springform cake pan and set it on a baking sheet.
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Sift together the flour and baking powder.
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In a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream the butter, sugar, and salt on low speed until light and smooth, 3 to 5 minutes.
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In a medium bowl, whisk the eggs, sour cream, oil, and vanilla.
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With the mixer running on medium, add the egg mixture to the butter mixture in 2 or 3 additions, until fully incorporated.
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Stop the mixer and add the flour mixture. Mix until you have a smooth, silky batter.
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Fold in the blueberries and the lime zest. Pour the batter into the prepared cake pan.
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Take the streusel out of the refrigerator and sprinkle it evenly over the top of the cake. If using an 8-inch cake pan, bake for 2 hours (rotating the pan halfway through), beginning to check the center of the cake at 1 hour and 45 minutes. If using a 9-inch pan, bake for 1 hour 45 minutes, beginning to check at 1 hour 30 minutes. Make sure a tester inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean.
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Remove the cake from the oven and let it cool on a wire rack for at least 20 minutes before unmolding.
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To make the glaze, pour all of the ingredients except for the powdered sugar and salt into a medium bowl and whisk until smooth. Then add the powdered sugar and the salt and mix until you have a smooth icing. Drizzle over top of the cooled cake and let set for about 20 minutes.
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