Blueberry Almond Teacake Bars

Yesterday, I baked for some special friends, who were coming for lunch and I knew blueberries were a favorite, so I came up with these simple but scrumptious teacake bars.  Watching my mother in the kitchen, I learned that baking from the heart for family and friends, desserts don't have to be elaborate, just personal to make a statement.

Teacakes are a wonderful way to end a meal, but more importantly, share with a cup of tea in the afternoon with a close friend.  Typically, to qualify for a "teacake" distinction, the dessert is a bread or cake, served regionally in the afternoon and is sturdy enough to be picked up with your fingers.  This qualifies easily for that distinction!

Blueberries are more a summer fruit and I love when I find them in the farmer's market in late June through July, but these I purchased at Whole Foods and imagine they were harvested south of us.  However, the teacake bars came out so perfect that I'm going to experiment with strawberries, raspberries, and even cherries when the season begins.

Blueberry Almond Teacake Bars
4 large eggs
1 cup granulated sugar*
1 tsp. Vanilla extract
1/2 tsp. Almond extract
1 cup King Arthur all-purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. Kosher salt
10 T unsalted butter, melted
1 cup almond flour (I grind my own, but you can purchase it) 
1 cup fresh blueberries

*I use Baker's Sugar by C & H.  It is an ultrafine pure cane sugar that blends well into the baked goods.

Preheat oven to 325F-degrees.  Prepare an 8" x 11" (removable bottom) tart pan by lining the bottom with parchment and then, spraying the pan lightly with a nonstick baking spray.

I placed the tart pan on a baking sheet that was also lined with parchment.
In a stand mixer, using the whisk attachment, beat the eggs, sugar, vanilla and almond extracts until thick, pale, and triple in volume--about 8 to 10 minutes.

Remove from the stand mixer and sift the flour and baking powder over the batter and fold thoroughly.  Next,  fold the slightly cooled melted butter and almond flour into this mixture.  Pour the mixture into the prepared pan.

 Sprinkle the blueberries on top of the batter and place in the preheated oven for 30 to 35 minutes.

Test with a wooden skewer, in the center of the cake after 28 or 30 minutes.  The skewer should come out cleanly of any batter.  Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely.

One of the other distinctions of a teacake is that it has no icing, but usually just a dusting of confections' sugar.

My friend, Mary is a talented artist and made for me this beautiful journal as a gift.  She listened how I felt losing Kelly makes me feel like I'm falling down the rabbit hole and used one of my favorite papers by Graphic 45--Hallowe-en in Wonderland to cover the journal and personalize it.  I also feel like we're "old soul sisters in another life" and I'm bless to have her in my life now.

Bake up a teacake and have a friend or sister over to share time with.  Life goes by so fast and we need to take the opportunity just to let the people we love know it.  Enjoy!