9 T butter, softened, plus 8 T 1 T double-acting baking powder
butter, chilled and cut into ½ tsp ground nutmeg
¼-inch bits ¼ tsp ground cloves
2 T plus 3¼ c unsifted flour 1 tsp salt
2 c sugar 3 eggs
1 tsp ground cinnamon ¾ c milk
3 c firm ripe blueberries 2 c heavy cream
----------------------
Preheat the oven to 375°. With a pastry brush, spread 1 tablespoon of
softened butter over the bottom and sides of a 13-by-9-by-3-inch baking
dish. Add 2 tablespoons of the flour and tip the dish to spread it evenly.
Invert the dish and rap the bottom sharply to remove excess flour.Prepare the crumb topping by combining the 8 tablespoons of butter bits, ¾ cup of the flour, 1 cup of the sugar and the cinnamon in a deep bowl. Working quickly, rub the flour and fat together with your fingertips until the mixture resembles flakes of coarse meal. Set aside.
Wash the blueberries in a colander under cold running water. Remove the stems and discard any berries that are badly bruised. Spread the berries on paper towels and pat them completely dry with fresh towels.
Combine the remaining 2½ cups of flour, the baking powder, nutmeg, cloves and salt, and sift them together into a bowl.
In a deep bowl, cream the remaining 8 tablespoons of softened butter and 1 cup of sugar by beating and mashing them against the sides of the bowl with the back of a spoon until they are light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs, one at a time. Add about 1 cup of the sifted flour mixture and, when it is well incorporated, stir in ¼ cup of the milk. Repeat twice more, alternating 1 cup of the flour with ¼ cup of milk and beating well after each addition. Gently stir in the blueberries.
Pour the blueberry batter into the buttered-and-floured baking dish, spreading it evenly and smoothing the top with a rubber spatula. Then sprinkle the reserved crumb topping evenly over the cake.
Bake in the middle of the oven for 40 to 50 minutes, or until the top is crusty and a toothpick or cake tester inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean. Serve the blueberry crumb cake warm or at room temperature, and present the cream separately in a pitcher. Serves 10 to 12.
