Lemon Blueberry Pudding Cake

If ever you find yourself in the fortunate situation of having an extra angel food cake and lots of fresh blueberries on hand, please allow me to make a suggestion on how to put them to good use. I found myself in a similar situation the other day (one of the perks of catering is mass amounts of random leftovers in your fridge) and with just a few basic ingredients (eggs, flour, sugar, etc), I threw together a simple summer dessert.

While this dish does require a little time in front of the stove and needs to be made ahead of time (so it has time to chill), I assure you the results are worth the effort. Bright blue streaks of blueberry sauce spill and splatter over a blank white angel food cake canvas, creating a stunning presentation. Hiding in the cake lies a layer of homemade blueberry-lemon pudding. With each bite, you get a bit of the cool and creamy homemade blueberry-lemon pudding, soft and subtly sweet angel food cake and, just when you think you've had enough, the blueberry sauce swoops in to reemphasize and deepen that bright blueberry flavor. Light and jam-packed with blueberry flavor, this is the dessert that summer evenings were made for.

Lemon-Blueberry Pudding Cake
- 1 Angel Food Cake (I used a store bought one)
- Blueberry-Lemon pudding (recipe below)
- Blueberry Sauce (recipe below)
- Fresh Blueberries to garnish

Cut the Angel Food cake in half lengthwise. Spread the blueberry-lemon pudding evenly over one side of the angel food cake. Top with other half of angel food cake and chill for an at least half an hour. When ready to serve, slice the the angel food cake into pieces and drizzle blueberry sauce over the cake. Garnish with fresh blueberries.

Lemon-Blueberry Pudding andSauce
- 1 quart fresh blueberries
- 1 lemon, zested and juice reserved
- 3 egg yolks
- 1 cup whole milk, heated until a little hotter than room temperature
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 4 1/2 TBS sugar + 1/4 cup
- 2 1/2 TBS Flour
- Pinch of Salt

To make the blueberry sauce: In a saucepan on medium heat, simmer the blueberries plus 1/4 cup sugar, zest and lemon juice until the juices have released and the mixture gets very sauce-like. Remove pan from heat and run blueberry lemon mixture through a mesh strainer. Set aside to let cool.

To make the blueberry-lemon pudding: In a sauce pan and on low heat, combine the egg yolks and 4 1/2 TBS sugar and beat with a whisk until the mixture has incorporated and becomes thick. Add the warm milk gradually, beating the whole time so it doesn't scramble the eggs. Mix in the flour and gently stir the mixture of medium heat until it becomes very thick. Once it starts to bubble, keep stirring and remove from the heat after about a minute. Run the mixture immediately through a fine mesh strainer. Gradually pour in half of the blueberry sauce and stir to combine. Reserve the other half for topping.