My mother’s stepmother, Barbara, was recognized to me solely as GrandBarb. She lived in Michigan, with my grandfather Elmer, a renderer who stood on his head for half-hour a day effectively into his nineties. GrandBarb was not, um, overly emotional. She wore extremely smart sneakers, and at all times had her glasses on a sequence so there was zero likelihood of misplacing them. She beloved the colour beige, judging from her wardrobe. Nonetheless, she expressed her love for me and my brother within the type of baked items, and this was a love language we understood.

I can nonetheless image it. They’d pull up of their (beige) Oldsmobile, having pushed to Washington, DC from Michigan, and he or she’d extract two massive Folger’s espresso canisters stuffed to the brim with chocolate chip cookies. She at all times labeled them With our names in daring, black marker, maybe hoping her swoopy, slanted letters would by some means shield my cookies from my brother’s plundering. (Nope.)

I maintain my reminiscences of GrandBarb in a fond place, and consider her each Christmas morning, once I make her well-known Blueberry Buckle. Here is her recipe—I make it with gluten free flour, and it is scrumptious, however be happy so as to add numerous gluten in case your intestines can deal with it. From a pores and skin well being standpoint, I do not advocate consuming this espresso cake on the each day. However now and again, it is simply what the physician ordered. I hope you get pleasure from this good, Fifties-style espresso cake—my household at all times gobbles up each final crumb!

Sift collectively and put aside→

2 cups gluten-free flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

½ teaspoon salt

Cream collectively→

¼ cup room temperature butter

¾ cup sugar

Add →

1 room temperature egg

½ cup room temperature milk or oat milk

Slowly sprinkle within the flour combination till the dough comes collectively—it is going to be VERY sticky. Add 2 cups of contemporary blueberries, mixing on low velocity till they’re integrated, however not a second longer so you do not squish all of them. With barely moist arms, flip the dough right into a greased 8×8 or 9×9 baking pan, urgent it into the corners.

Make the crumb topping→

¼ cup chilly butter

½ cup sugar

⅓ cup gluten-free flour

½ teaspoon cinnamon

Minimize the butter into the dry substances, and use your fingers to clean all of it collectively right into a chunky texture. Sprinkle excessive of the dough. Bake at 375 for about 45 minutes, till a toothpick comes out clear from the middle. Permit to chill within the pan, lower into items, and serve with espresso or tea!