Blueberry Cinnamon Roll Cake

Have you ever had a blueberry cinnamon roll?  There is a local bakery where I live that makes the BEST EVER blueberry cinnamon rolls.  I would pick that roll over a regular cinnamon roll or even over an orange roll any day of the week.   I had high hopes for this cake.  The cake itself was delicious.  It was moist, had great texture and was loaded with cinnamon flavor.  Plus anything with glaze on top is a winner in my book.  The only problem was, it wasn't loaded with blueberry flavor and since it is called "Blueberry Cinnamon Roll Cake", it should taste like blueberries.  

However,  I think I have figured out how to get more blueberry flavor packed inside.  I think it would be perfect to layer half the batter, then a whole layer of blueberry sauce, then the rest of the batter.  That way you get blueberry in every single bite.  What do you think?  Either way this cake was yummy and you could even leave the blueberry out entirely and just have regular cinnamon roll cake!    

Blueberry Cinnamon Roll Cake

adapted from: My Shiny Life
(Printable Recipe)

Blueberry Sauce 

1 pt. blueberries

1/4 c. water

1 Tbl. sugar

juice of 1/2 a lemon

1 tsp. vanilla extract

Cake

3 c. all-purpose flour

1/4 tsp. salt

1 c. sugar

4 tsp. baking powder

1 1/2 c. milk

2 eggs

2 tsp. vanilla extract

1/2 tsp. orange zest, opt.

1/2 c. (1 stick) butter, melted

Topping

1/2 c. butter

1 c. brown sugar

2 Tbl. flour

1 Tbl. cinnamon

Glaze

2 c. powdered sugar

2 - 3 Tbl. milk (more if needed)

1 tsp. vanilla extract

To make the blueberry sauce:  Add the blueberries, water, sugar and lemon juice to a saucepan.  Cook over medium heat until thickened, mashing the blueberries as you go. (A potato masher worked best for me, but you could also use a wooden spoon).  Once thickened, remove from heat and stir in the vanilla.  Set aside to cool.  To make the cake: Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Combine the flour, salt, sugar and baking powder.  In  a separate dish combine the milk, eggs, vanilla, orange zest and melted butter.  Add wet ingredients to dry and stir until combined.  Pour into a greased 9x13 inch cake pan (or see my notes below for my suggestion).  Dollop blueberry sauce over cake batter and swirl using a butter knife.  For the topping:  Combine brown sugar, flour and cinnamon.  Cut in the butter until it looks like wet sand.  (My fingers worked best for this, but you could always use a fork or spoon).  Sprinkle evenly over the cake.  Bake for 30-33 minutes.  Let cake cool for 20-30 minutes.  To make the glaze:  Whisk together all ingredients until smooth, adding only enough milk until it reaches desired consistency.  Pour over slightly cooled cake.  Let cake sit for 1 1/2 - 2 hours before cutting and serving.  Don't rush this part or you might end up with a completely sunken cake.    

Jenn's Notes: I made 1/2 a batch.  I did add orange zest, but I couldn't taste it at all, so you could totally leave that out or add it to the glaze instead.  Next time, I am going to spread half the batter into the cake pan, then spread an entire layer of blueberry sauce over the batter (instead of just dolloping).  Then, I will top with the remaining cake batter and continue with the rest of the cake as instructed.  By just dolloping and swirling the sauce, you end up with only a few patches of blueberry and by adding an entire layer of blueberry sauce, I think it will add much more blueberry flavor, since you will get some in every bite, but the choice is up to you.