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Blueberry Pudding Cake

Blueberry Pudding Cake
A pudding cake is a type of cake that separates into layers when it is baked, resulting in a fluffy cake layer on top of a thick, pudding-like layer. Chocolate pudding cake is a classic example, but pudding cake can come in a whole variety of flavors and can even be made with fresh fruit. In fact, a fruity pudding cake can be even better than a similar fruit cobbler would be because the pudding cake will develop a thicker, richer sauce around all that juicy fruit than most cobblers will provide.

This Blueberry Pudding Cake is a good example because it is lot like a blueberry cobbler – only better. Fresh blueberries line the bottom of the baking dish and they’re covered with a thick buttermilk cake batter that is not unlike the batter you might use to top off a fruit cobbler. The whole thing is covered with a sweet sauce (you could easily flavor this with orange juice or lemon juice, but I only wanted to highlight the blueberries here) and baked.  It will be tempting to stir the sauce into the cake batter when you’re making the cake, but trust the recipe and simply pour it on top. The result is that the blueberries develop a thick, rich sauce around them underneath the lighter cake layer. The sauce makes the dessert moist, rich and very satisfying to eat. The sauce also makes the pudding cake an exceptionally good accompaniment for ice cream.

The cake has a good buttermilk flavor and hints of both vanilla and almond in it. The dessert is just sweet enough to highlight the richness of the blueberries without covering up any of their fresh flavor. Fresh blueberries are my preferred fruit for this cake when I have them, and I definitely recommend using them for the best results. Frozen berries will still produce a good finished product, but they may need a few minutes longer in the oven for the sauce to thicken enough.

Blueberry Pudding Cake
16-oz blueberries (about 2 cups)
1 cup all purpose flour
1/2 cup sugar
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
2/3 cup buttermilk
2 tbsp butter, melted
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 tsp almond extract

Sauce
1/2 cup sugar
1 tbsp cornstarch
1 cup hot water

Preheat oven to 350F.
Place blueberries into an 8×8-inch baking dish.
In a large bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. In a small bowl or measuring cup, whisk together buttermilk, melted butter, vanilla and almond extracts. Pour into flour mixture and stir until well combined. Dollop batter over blueberries and gently spread into an even layer (batter will be quite thick).
To make the sauce, whisk together sugar and cornstarch in a small bowl. Pour hot water over the mixture and stir until sugar is dissolved. Carefully pour the sauce over the blueberry/cake mixture. Do not mix.
Bake for 45 minutes, until sauce is thick and bubbly and the cake is lightly browned.
Cool slightly before serving.

Serves 6.

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10 Comments
  • Linda
    August 15, 2011

    Wow that looks amazing. Makes my mouth water just imagining the flavors. You didn’t specify–can it be served after it has cooled with nearly the same effect or should it only be served warm?

  • Pral
    August 15, 2011

    Can we use frozen blueberries?

  • Saragl
    August 15, 2011

    Sounds yummy! I’m assuming you mean 1/2 cup of sugar in the sauce? Thanks, I have the blueberries, so I’ll try this in the next day or so…

  • Lauren at Keep It Sweet
    August 16, 2011

    I can’t wait to try this, love it!

  • Nicole
    August 16, 2011

    Saragl – Yes, there is 1/2 cup sugar in the sauce as well as 1/2 cup sugar in the cake. Thanks for catching that typo!

  • ric
    August 16, 2011

    ok. here’s the deal. i added some lemon zest to the cake batter. i then extracted all the juice of the lemon, adding enough water to make a cup, which i then used in the “sauce” just to add some depth of flavor. i never alter recipes right out of the gate, and in fact, find those who do annoying! at least TRY the thing before you go changing it! but it sounded to me like this could benefit from raising the ante just a bit, and i gotta say, i was shocked. the dessert, for all its simplicity, is absolutely delicious. a comfort dessert! make one when you’re home alone all day and eat the entire thing yourself. i’ll never tell.

  • Heather@CurlyGirlKitchen
    August 16, 2011

    I remember making a lot of chocolate pudding cakes in my family as a kid, but I never have seen a recipe for it using blueberries! Looks soo good! I want to just eat out of that pan with a spoon.

  • Stylista
    August 17, 2011

    made this last night….OUTSTANDING!

  • Jenn
    May 24, 2013

    Too funny! This is an old favorite in my family, only it’s called Shiny Top Cobbler. My grandmother’s made a version of this (minus the almond extract, and regular milk instead of the buttermilk) for many years.

  • Shaz
    July 4, 2013

    I needed a blueberry recipe this morning for a picnic later on, and I just knew you wouldn’t disappoint me! Quick and easy-peasy, and everyone loved it!

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