midsummer i went blueberry picking upstate. the next day, when opening up the fridge, i spotted the greek yogurt my father eats every morning with blueberries and granola and thought it would be fun to whip up an upside-down blueberry cake for my family’s breakfast.
the greek yogurt was used to make the cake, which was baked over blueberries. while the cake was baking i also quickly whipped up a streusel inspired by granola, featuring oats and almonds, and then baked it on a sheet tray in the oven while the cake finished up baking. the whole thing took under 30 minutes of active time.
while everything was baking in the oven, the scent filled the house and everyone kept asking, “is it ready yet?” when it was finally finished baking, i flipped out the cake, and topped it with the streusel. we each got a slice, then quickly got a second one, and then a few of us even had a third. all to say, the cake was gone in about three hours. the tart, melty blueberries, paired with the tender, fluffy, and springy cake (truly this cake is so tender it quivers and barely holds together, see the ugly video below or the cuter video at the top), and the crunchy sweet and salty streusel, it was hard to resist that third or fourth slice.
i thought about developing the recipe over the summer for substack, but there were so many other things i wanted to make – tiramisu ice cream sandwiches, peach raspberry slab pie, etc. – so it went on the back burner. that’s okay though because it meant i got to make this recipe several more times and learn that this cake works equally as well with frozen blueberries (which means it’s a great cake to make all year). you can bake this cake in a cake tin, loaf pan, or muffin tin. all options are delicious!
this recipe may sound quite sweet but i promise it really isn’t. the blueberries are baked without sugar (you could add sugar if you would like), and the sweetness in the cake is tempered by the tang in the yogurt. yes, the streusel is sweet, but it’s also salty and provides a great crunch. you can also choose how much of it you want to add to the top of the cake.
one word of warning: the cooked blueberries from this cake will stain your fabric and maybe your table so be careful when eating. (thankfully, bleach got it out of my clothes, and a magic eraser got it out of my table.)
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