Last Friday I spent the majority of the day moving into the new kitchen and prepping for my first dinner party. Yes, we had people over about three hours after the drywall guys left for the last time. Are you really that surprised?? (Somehow, Randy was…)
I thought long and hard about what to serve my first guests and how to first break in the new oven. The overall dinner menu wasn’t that exciting (Lopez Bakery chips and salsa, blueberry sparkling lemonade, your standard summer hash brown casserole, Pick N’Save’s fancy burgers, and Nicole’s cucumber, tomato and feta salad), but I wanted something fun and appropriate for dessert.
Enter the blueberry chocolate cake. I like chocolate cake. I also like pretty simple recipes, like this one from Better Homes & Gardens that gave me the majority of this recipe. We have a ton of blueberries to use from our CSA, so this was the perfect way to tie them into dessert, but still get a chocolate fix. (I was thinking about a lemon blueberry concoction, but I think my friends may have worried that I hit my head on a new kitchen cabinet had I not served something chocolatey!)
The cake was surprisingly moist for using whole wheat flour. You taste just a hint of blueberry in the cake – just enough to surprise your guests if you don’t tell them about the secret ingredient. I didn’t use the Cointreau in the ganache frosting, but I feel like that would have been the perfect little kick. The cake kept very well, though I make no promised that it’s going to last more than another lunchtime around these parts…
So without further ado, the first recipe to come out of Chez Truly, MM: Blueberry Chocolate Cake!
Blueberry Chocolate Cake
Print recipe
Ingredients
- 1 cup whole wheat flour
- 1 cup sugar
- 6 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- .5 teaspoon baking soda
- .5 teaspoon salt
- .75 cup water
- .5 cup fresh blueberries (Or frozen berries, thawed)
- 1 egg
- .5 cup unsalted butter (Cut into small pieces.)
- .5 Cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
- 1 tablespoon Cointreau, or other orange flavor liqueur
Directions
| 1. | Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In medium bowl, combine flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. In blender, combine water, blueberries, and the egg. Cover and blend until smooth. Add to flour mixture. Stir until well combined. Pour into greased 8" baking pan. |
| 2. | Bake 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool completely on wire rack. |
| 3. | In small microwave-safe bowl, combine butter and chocolate chips (and optional Cointreau). Microwave for 30 seconds and stir. Repeat until mixture is completely melted. This step should take around one minute, depending on the power of your microwave. It can also be done on the stove top if you prefer not to microwave. |
| 4. | Immediately pour ganache over cake. Smooth to cover evenly. Let cool. |
| 5. | Cut cake into squares to serve. Top with fresh blueberries. |
