Blueberry-Pecan Cake

Just in time this recipe is coming to you for a Father’s day treat. The establishment of Father’s Day has an interesting convoluted history.  In 1910, Sonora Smart Dodd, whose father, William Jackson Smart, was a Civil War Veteran, told her pastor that fathers should have a similar holiday as mothers did. Her father was a single parent who reared his six children in Spokane, WA. And she was in great admiration of him. She originally wanted it on her father’s birthday, June 5, however because there wasn’t enough time for the pastors to arrange their sermons, the holiday was deferred to the third Sunday of June. The holiday never really caught on however, in 1913 a bill was introduced in Congress for the national recognition of Father’s Day.  Congress resisted because they felt that the holiday would become too commercialized. President Coolidge recommended it in 1924, but once again is was defeated by Congress.  In 1957, Maine Senator Margaret Chase Smith wrote a proposal accusing Congress of ignoring fathers for 40 years and pointed out that it wasn’t fair to celebrate only one parent—the mother. So finally, in 1966, President Lyndon B. Johnson issued the first presidential proclamation honoring fathers and designating the third Sunday in June as Father’s Day.  However, the day wasn’t made a permanent national holiday till 6 years later when President Richard Nixon signed it into law in 1972.  Whew!!!!  Finally!!!!

A Happy Father’s Day to all Fathers everywhere.

Ingredients:

Non-stick cooking spray

2 tsp. all-purpose flour

5 Tblsp. butter

3/4 C. granulated sugar

2 large eggs

2/3 C. low-fat buttermilk

2 tsp. grated orange rind

1 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1 ½  tsp.vanilla extract

1/2 tsp. almond extract

1/4  tsp. baking soda

1 ½ cups all-purpose flour

2 C. fresh or frozen blueberries (you can use as little as 1 C)

1/3 C. finely chopped pecans (but you also can use walnuts)

2 Tblsp. sifted powdered sugar

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

1. Coat a 9-inch round spring form pan with cooking spray and dust the pan with 2 tsp. flour
2. Place butter in a large microwave-safe bowl. Cover and micro on high 1 minute or until butter is melted
3. Add granulated sugar, stirring with a whisk.
4. Add eggs, stir well.
5. Stir in buttermilk and next 6 ingredients (buttermilk through baking soda); stir well
6. Lightly spoon 1 ½ C. flour into dry measuring cups and level with a knife. Add flour to mixture, stirring just until blended. (Do not over stir.)
7. Stir in blueberries and pecans/walnuts.
8. Spoon mixture into prepared pan, spreading evenly.
9. Bake at 350 for 45 minutes or until lightly browned and a wooden toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
10. Cool 10 minutes in pan on a wire rack.
11. Sprinkle with powdered sugar and cut into wedges.
12. Bon Appetit

Are you a frustrated, overworked or timid cook? Call Margot for help @ 721-3551

& please feel free to email her @ TempInnKeeper@mindspring.com or to visit her blog for more recipes including these: http://blog.TempInnKeeper.com

Margot is a self-taught enthusiastic & passionate cook. Having been an inn-keeper for 5 years at her own inn, she accumulated a lot of good recipes which she loves to share.