Cindy "TheSweetNerd" Rodriguez When I think of this recipe for blueberry milk crumble cake, I think of my French goddaughter, Myrtille. The association has a lot to do with the fact that the name ‘Myrtille’ literally means “blueberries” in French. She emulates the fruit through and through. Myrtille is super sweet and yet daringly bold. This crumble cake shadows her well… stunningly beautiful, slightly complex, and hugely rewarding.
I enlisted the help of my pastry chef friend, Laura Gillway for this showstopper of a cake. Laura is off working with the fabulous Ashley Holt of Sugar Monster Sweets. The more hands here, the better!
First you create a double recipe of delicious blueberry vanilla cake, and work in a special surprise: milk crumble, from none other than NYC’s Momofuku Milk Bar Cookbook. Please be sure to set the crumble aside after you make it, or else it’ll be eaten within seconds. This magical salty sweet acts as a nice counterbalance within this cake, rendering the whole thing pretty irresistible.
Next comes the assembly! You start with another double recipe, this time the Italian meringue frosting. Next, cut your cake layers for flat tops. Now the mother-load of things to remember for each layer: brush with simple syrup, frosting, milk crumble and sprinkle dried blueberries (or fresh). This is the part where the kids say, “Are we there yet?” Sorry guys, tune back in cuz you got a ways to go. But, I tell ya, it is worth it! Now crumb-coat, and put in fridge. WTH is crumb-coat? It is cake-speak for locking in the crumbs with your first “coat” of frosting. Apply one more frosting layer to try and get it smooth and then refrigerate.
Decorating Time! YEAH! Let’s do the blending section first. I first applied another light layer of buttercream (ahhhhh don’t kill me it was super light). This is so I can blend the blues with the base color underneath. Two parts to applying the blue frosting: spot-treat (using both colors, but in different places) and then blend with cake or dough scraper while spinning cake. Repeat these steps several times to achieve the perfect look for your blended blueberry cake. Ok, the next section includes the final touches: buttercream kisses, milk crumble, fresh blueberries, blue sanding sugar, and gold speckled flakes.
Happy Virtual Birthday, Myrtille. We You!
Photos by: Maria Hedrick Photography
December 27, 2017 Cake 4 1/2 ounces unsalted butter softened Italian Buttercream 1 pound unsalted butter, softened and cut into 1"cubes Berry Milk Crumble Filling 3 ounces white chocolate melted (optional) 1/4 cup freeze dried blueberry powder (optional) Decoration Simple syrup for brushing (1/2 cup sugar & 1/2 cup water simmered until clear and cooled) 1 cup freeze dried blueberries for sprinkling between layers and above cake Vanilla Blueberry Cake 1Sift flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside. 2Base: In a mixer, beat butter (aerate), add sugar until light and fluffy. Add yolks, one at a time, and beat until combined. Add vanilla. 3Add to Base: Alternate milk and dries in next step. With mixer on low speed, add flour dry mixture, then add milk alternating. 4Separate Bowl: Whip egg whites until stiff peaks. Now, add whites into base by thirds. Be gentle and fold into the batter to keep cake light and airy. Last step, add dried blueberries and mix once just until incorporated. Don't overmix! 5Bake: Pour batter into two 8" rounds and bake at 325F for 20-30 minutes until tester comes out clean. Turn out on wire rack and cool completely. Cut cake rounds in half so you have 4 cake rounds to assemble. Italian Buttercream 1Heat water and sugar to 248. Once, sugar is boiling, and temperature reaches near 220, begin step 2. 2In an electric mixer with whisk attachment, beat egg whites on low until foamy. Then whip on medium until near stiff. 3Add hot sugar liquid - With mixer running on medium-low, pour syrup down side of bowl in a steady stream. Beat on high until there is no steam and you can touch the bottom of the bowl. 4Next, add a few pieces of butter at a time into semi-cooled whites. Beat in all of butter. Add vanilla. If it looks curdled at any point, keep beating until smoothed out. This should take about 3-5 minutes. Milk Crumb 1Combine 1/4c milk powder, the flour, cornstarch, sugar, and salt in medium bowl. Toss with hands to mix. Add butter and toss until mixture comes together in a crumble. 2Spread clusters on parchment paper and bake at 250F for 15-20 minutes. Cool completely. 3Add 1/4 cup milk powder to baked mix. Then pour the melted white chocolate over mixture until clusters are enrobed. Toss every 5 minutes until clusters are no longer sticky. Crumb lasts in storage container in fridge for up to one month. You will have extra, enjoy! Assemble & Crumbcoat & Frost 1Brush layers with simple syrup 2Frost each layer evenly and sprinkle with dried berries & milk crumble 3Crumbcoat entire cake and place in fridge for 2 hours or overnight. 4Evenly coat cake with frosting one more time for an even smooth cake. Decorate 1Make 3 batches of ombre colors of blue and spread in patches around sides of cake. With a cake comb, blend in color and frosting while rotating cake on stand. Topping for cake is meringue pipes of frosting (pick one color), milk crumble, fresh blueberries and sanding sugar set in a crescent shape. For your final hoo-rah, place speckled gold along sides and top of cake. Enjoy! Recipe Modification & Adaptation
Blueberry Milk Crumble Cake
Ingredients
Directions
Cake - Naked Cake, Lyndel Miller
Crumble - Milk, Christina Tosi
By 
LET’S BAKE TOGETHER!
Don’t Miss A Recipe
