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Blueberry Boy Bait

Blueberry Boy Bait
12 votes, 5.00 avg. rating (98% score)
Blueberry Boy BaitAimee Seavey

Total Time: 20

Yield: 18 squares

In 1954 a 15-year-old Chicago teen named Renny Powell submitted a blueberry coffee cake recipe to the Pillsbury $100,000 Recipe & Baking Contest (precursor to today's Pillsbury Bake-Off). Renny took second place in the youth division for her creation, named in honor of its powers with the opposite sex. The recipe has been in circulation for nearly 60 years now, including on YankeeMagazine.com, where our adaptation is one of the most popular recipes in our archive.

For the Cake

Ingredients:

Butter for the pan
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup granulated sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon table salt
2/3 cup vegetable oil
1 cup milk
2 large eggs
3 cups blueberries, fresh or frozen

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350° and butter a 9x13-inch baking pan.


In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Add the oil, milk, and eggs. Mix with an electric mixer for 3 minutes.


Pour the batter into the prepared pan, then evenly sprinkle the blueberries on top.

Additional Notes:

If using large frozen blueberries 2 cups works best. If using small (wild) fresh or frozen blueberries, use up to 3 cups.

For the Topping

Ingredients:

3 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Instructions:

In a small bowl, combine the sugar and cinnamon, then sprinkle over the blueberries. Bake until a cake tester inserted into the center comes out clean, about 50 minutes.

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15 Responses to Blueberry Boy Bait

  1. Anonymous January 23, 2003 at 8:45 pm #

    It was a little sweet so I think that you should go with the “you may use less sugar” thing. Other than that, the recope is great. It even has a cute little story to go with it.

    Reply
  2. Sherry Stuck July 23, 2003 at 9:51 pm #

    I followed the suggestion and used the lower amount of sugar, plus 3 cups of freshly picked blueberries. The people at work loved it! So did my husband; he was a little put out that I gave most of it to my co-workers!

    Reply
  3. Anonymous October 31, 2003 at 7:41 am #

    Very easy and great for breakfast or dessert.

    Reply
  4. Siviana Stipivic July 15, 2005 at 8:36 pm #

    I used the lower amount of sugar and it was delicious!

    Reply
  5. Carol Turner August 28, 2005 at 2:55 pm #

    Many years ago when I took this recipe out of Yankee Magazine, it called to separate the eggs. Mixing everything as you have it and then adding the beaten eggs at the end, it does make a difference in the
    taste, which I like better.

    Reply
  6. Anonymous August 29, 2005 at 6:59 pm #

    Lowered the amount of sugar to 3/4 C for cake, and 3TBSP for topping.

    Reply
  7. Anonymous August 30, 2005 at 6:18 am #

    My whole family loved it. I made it as it was…no substitutions. We will definitely make it again!

    Reply
  8. Anonymous January 3, 2006 at 3:19 pm #

    My 7-year-old daughter loves blueberries and would have eaten the whole thing had I let her. It was very good. I made it according to the recipe. Next time, I may decrease the sugar in the topping. (Depends on how this New Year’s Resolution holds…)

    Reply
  9. Anonymous April 5, 2009 at 9:42 pm #

    I tried this recipe for the first time and thought it turned out very well. It is a very good and sweet “breakfast bread/cake.”

    Reply
  10. Carol Turner April 15, 2011 at 11:40 am #

    I’ve made this recipe for years. Took it from one of the first Yankee Magazine’s I received. It has always been a favorite. But the first recipe calls to beat the egg white separately and it really makes the cake better. Just does something special for the cake.

    Reply
  11. Christine Przybylowicz May 15, 2011 at 6:17 pm #

    Absolutely wonderful! Made it with less sugar and it was just fine. So moist, everyone in the family loved it.

    Reply
  12. Anonymous January 31, 2013 at 6:27 pm #

    Oh my! Blueberry Boy Bait……The first cookbook I ever bought was the 1959 Issue of the Pillsbury Bake Off Best 1000 Recipes. Blueberry Boy Bait was the first recipe I made from that book and I made it many times over the years.
    But must admit that cookbook got pushed to the back of my shelf but your article this morning sent me looking for it. I found it and was able to find the original recipe. I like your changes to the recipe; less sugar and less fuss.
    Now I think I’ll make it for the grandkids.
    Thanks for that blast from the past.

    Reply
  13. Anonymous February 6, 2013 at 9:58 am #

    I am always looking for an interesting receipe so when I saw this one I printed it and put it in my recipe binder! I made it last Sunday for church and it was a big hit! I added some frozen cranberries and a little chopped walnuts on top and it tasted great! Not too sweet and it makes a good size cake!

    Reply
  14. shoecob18@gmail.com May 11, 2013 at 5:46 pm #

    i ‘ve always liked to get recipe’s- they use to come in larger print ,now are to small for me to read??
    Dorothy

    Reply

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