Gaga's Blueberry Cake

Blueberry Cake 1 1/2 Cups cake flour

2 1/2 Teaspoons baking powder

1/4 Teaspoon salt

1/2 Cup shortening

2/3 Cup sugar

1 Whole egg

3/4 Teaspoon vanilla

1/2 Cup milk

1 Cup blueberries

Blueberry Sauce 1 Cup blueberries -- or more

1 Whole lemon -- juiced

1 Tablespoon sugar

For the cake, sift flour, measure and add baking powder and salt. Cream shortening, add sugar gradually until light and fluffy. Add dry ingredients alternately with the milk. Stir only enough to blend. Wash the berries and toss with flour to lightly coat. Gently fold the floured berries into the cake batter. Pour into greased 8x8 pan and bake at 375 for 25-35 minutes or until cake tester just comes out clean.

For the sauce; put berries, lemon juice and sugar in a saucepan over medium high heat until boiling. Reduce heat and cook until the berries are just tender.

Serve the cake with a small knob of hard sauce on top of it, and the warm sauce poured over all.

( For hard sauce combine about 1/4 cup butter with confectioners sugar beat together add more sugar until the consistency is firm but not hard. Add a dash of vanilla. )

This recipe was one of the recipes I 'translated' from my Great Grandmothers' Receipt book. It is a family favorite, and we indulge ourselves every year during blueberry season. The cake is best served warm, not hot. The hard sauce should be about room temperature and the blueberry sauce should be hot enough to melt some of the hard sauce when you pour it over the cake.