Blueberries are good hot, like when they're baked into muffins or a cake and they pop just enough to let their juice ooze out in spatters of purple juice. We love them in this cake - it's a dead easy butter cake, so soft and moist, with orange zest and nutmeg to bring out the flavor of the berries. Good for breakfast, with a crumble on top, or for dessert with homemade ice cream.

We topped it with this Spiced Cream Cheese Frosting from Gourmet, which adds its own touch of cinnamon, ginger, and citrus zest.

Orange and Nutmeg Blueberry Cake
1 9x13 cake

3 eggs
2 cups sugar
3/4 cup butter, softened at room temperature for 30 minutes
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg, freshly grated
Zest of 1 orange
2 teaspoons vanilla
2 cups flour
1 pint blueberries, washed

Preheat oven to 350°F. Lightly grease a 9x13 pan.

Beat eggs and sugar together for 5 minutes; the eggs will increase in volume quite a bit, streaming into ribbons when you lift the beaters. Add butter, orange zest, nutmeg and vanilla and beat for 2 minutes. Stir in flour and fold in blueberries. Pour into greased pan.

Bake about 30 minutes or until a skewer comes out clean. Cool completely before frosting.

(Image: Faith Hopler)