What To Consider When Baking Blueberries Into Your Cake

So you've decided to add a hefty serving of blueberries to one of your favorite cake recipes (we recommend this delicious lemony blueberry cake) and can hardly wait to take your berry-studded baked good out of the oven. You cut into the cake, eager for a taste, only to be met with a disappointing sight — a layer of blueberries at the bottom of your cake pan — with an expanse of berry-free batter stretching out above it. Unfortunately, it's something that's happens to even the best bakers. However, there's an easy way to fix this, and it involves a simple trick that you can implement when you fill your cake pan with batter.

Before you add your blueberries near the end of the batter-making process, add a layer of plain batter to the bottom of your prepared cake pan. Then, fold the blueberries into the remainder of the batter and pour it on top. This approach creates a cushion of sorts that prevents the blueberries from sinking to the bottom of your cake as it bakes. Better yet, since you're not adding anything extra, you don't need to worry about potentially changing the texture of your cake. This method isn't just for blueberries. It also works for cakes with any kind of mix-ins.

If you want even more assurance that your berries will disperse evenly throughout your cake and not just sit in a lump at the bottom of your pan, consider a tip from the late, great Julia Child. She also suggested adding a portion of batter to the bottom of the pan. However, as an added step, she would heat the baking dish atop the stove for just one or two minutes to develop a slight "film" atop the batter. This provides an even sturdier batter "cushion" to prevent your berries from sinking in your cake. If you are using a pan you don't want to heat on the stovetop, you can experiment with placing it in the oven for a very brief time to achieve similar results.

Finally, before baking with any kind of fruit, you should always toss it in a bit of flour to coat the exterior. The flour absorbs a bit of the liquid blueberries release when they bake. This keeps them from getting too heavy in your batter. However, it doesn't work quite as effectively as the batter-layering approach, so don't rely on this method as the only measure you take to prevent sinking berries.