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Easy as Cake

I like to go out to dinner. And I like cooking my own food, probably because I had a lovely husband who loved anything I made. His mom and mine were terrible cooks, but, because of his nurturing, I was always trying to make something that made him use more verbs to describe what I made and, since we two were English majors, his vocabulary was pretty amazing and I fully appreciated that.

He also often finished The New York Times Magazine Sunday crossword faster than I could, which made me swoon.

Now that I no longer have him to cook for, sometimes I make things he might not like as much. And periodically I try to challenge myself with a recipe that requires techniques I rarely use or ingredients new to me. For me, the kitchen is my laboratory; the kitchen is the room in which I am most comfortable (although, truth be told, I am really good at sitting on my couch, too).

A few weeks ago, I went to friends’ home for dinner. I had made my Coca-Cola chocolate cake because some of the guests had never tasted it. It was good. It always is. But my friend, Joan Gordon, made a blueberry cake so amazing that I begged for the recipe (not that it required begging, since I and my friends always share recipes).

The next day Joan emailed the recipe.

Here’s the deal: It requires six ingredients. I made it twice with fresh blueberries. Joan mentioned that her Indiana son made it with fresh apples and it didn’t work. Three days later I made it with canned, extremely sweet, very thick strawberries. Because it was so sweet, I used only ½ cup of the required sugar. It was delicious, so you can make this simple cake in the middle of January or February or March, and your family and friends will love it. It does ask for self-rising flour, and I make my own at home: 1 cup of all-purpose flour, 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder, and ¼ teaspoon of fine salt. I triple that recipe, put it in an air-tight container, and keep it in my pantry. Here is the easiest cake recipe ever. Let me know what other kinds of fruit you choose. And could it work with chocolate, too? Let’s experiment ...

Lee White of Old Lyme has been a food editor and restaurant reviewer for more than 25 years. You can email her at leeawhite@aol.com.

Easiest Cake Ever

1 stick (½ cup) butter

1 cup self-rising flour

1 cup sugar

1 cup milk (2 percent works fine)

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1 pint of blueberries (or any sliced stone fruit)*

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a 9- by 13-inch oblong baking pan (metal works better than glass)

Place butter in the pan and place in oven until it melts. Carefully swirl the melted butter around and up the walls of the pan.

In a bowl, add flour and sugar and mix with a whisk. Add milk and vanilla and whisk until lumps are gone. Pour batter over the buttered pan. Drop blueberries on the batter. Place in the oven and bake for 35 to 40 minutes. Allow to cool a bit before serving. It is delicious with ice cream. (I do have a problem getting it out of the pan, but who cares?)

*I also made this with a can of sweetened strawberries and used only ½ cup of sugar in the batter.