Tonight was the third time I made this cake, and it hasn’t failed me yet. Either that means it’s extremely easy, or I’m becoming a better baker. Or maybe a bit of both.
I won’t lie – it’s rich. Any cake that doesn’t call for frosting, only powdered sugar – is probably pretty rich. Usually that doesn’t stop me, however. Me & the Hubs love our sugary frostings. But this one truly doesn’t need any frosting.
This recipe came from an insert in the Sunday paper – American Profile, I think it’s called. I usually don’t try these recipes, but I’m so glad I gave this a shot.
Tools Needed
- Bundt pan - If you’re a new baker, it’s worth the investment, just for the array of wonderful cakes you can make in this pan. I was lucky; Mom gave me hers.
- Mixing Bowl
- small bowl for beating eggs
- Mixer
- Measuring cups for liquid
- Measuring spoons
- Spatula to scrape mixing bowl
- Toothpicks to test for doneness
- Cooling rack
- butter or shortening to grease pan & flour to coat pan after greasing OR
- this lovely stuff (see note below)
- 1 (8 oz) package cream cheese, softened (this means room temperature or you’ll get little lumpies)
- 1/2 cup vegetable oil
- 1 18 oz. package yellow cake mix
- 1 3 oz. (small) package instant vanilla pudding mix
- 4 eggs, beaten
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2 cups fresh blueberries (I’ve always used frozen, but I thaw & drain them)
- Powdered sugar (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
- Lightly spray 9-inch tube or Bundt pan with nonstick cooking spray and dust w/flour (or powdered sugar, as I did).
- Combine cream cheese and oil in medium bowl; beat with mixer at HIGH speed until smooth & creamy.
- Beat the 4 eggs in small bowl.
- Add cake mix, pudding mix, beaten eggs and vanilla to cream cheese & oil mixture. Beat at MEDIUM speed.
- Fold in berries. Batter will be THICK. Spoon batter into prepared pan.
- Bake 60 minutes or until wooden toothpick comes out clean. Cool cake in pan on wire rack for 20 minutes. Remove from pan and cool completely on rack. (If you can’t wait, it’s really good served warm.) Sprinkle with powdered sugar, if desired.
Just look at all them blueberries! Yum! I really must try it this summer with some fresh berries, though.
I did try this once with cranberries instead of blueberries. Dried cranberries. Didn’t turn out so good. The dried cranberries absorbed any liquid and the cake was much drier. The taste was still good – just not as moist.
I’ve since made a cranberry orange nut bread and rehydrated the berries in orange juice for an hour before putting them in the batter. That might work with this cake, I don’t know. Guess I’ll have to experiment.
Ok, I'm linking to this wonderful party for the 1st time. That's a big, big step for a newbie! But, go and check out everyone else's great ideas!
Happy Baking!
Colleen