Blueberry Buttermilk Tea Cake

I could write a thesis on the marvels of buttermilk. It may be the holy grail of ingredients. If the recipe calls for buttermilk, you are guaranteed culinary success and satisfied tummies. Lately I've been using so much buttermilk that I've been tempted to use the real deal (right out of a carton). I usually use a powdered butter milk that you mix with water (and my taste buds tell me there can't possibly be a difference), but I've used buttermilk in three recipes this week (Oreo Cake, Snickerdoodle Muffins, and now this one), so I think I can safely assume that my carton of buttermilk won't go to waste.

Ingredients:
1 stick of butter, softened
3/4 cup + 2 tablespoons of sugar (plus additional tablespoon for sprinkling)
1 egg, room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups of all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons of baking powder
1 teaspoon of kosher salt
2 cups of fresh blueberries, rinsed and drained
1/2 cup of buttermilk
*2 teaspoons of lemon zest is optional. I didn't have any lemons at 7:30 this fine evening and I decided against making my 2nd grocery trip in one day (unacceptable, the check-out ladies already think I'm a freak for going daily).

Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
2. Soften butter in the microwave and cream with sugar. Use a blender.
3. Add eggs and vanilla and continue to blend.
4. Mix in flour, baking powder and salt alternatively with the buttermilk.
5. Gently fold in the blueberries. *GENTLY, blueberries are prone to break and splatter all over your nice batter
6. Spray an 8 x 8 pan with non-stick baking spray and pour batter into prepared pan.
7. Sprinkle the top of the batter with 1to 1 1/2 tablespoons of sugar.
8. Pop in the oven for about 35 minutes, probably more like 37 or 40. Mine was a little underdone but still divine.

This cake will melt in your mouth and disappear before you know it! I made it with the intention of eating it Friday and Saturday morning. There may possibly be enough for breakfast tomorrow due to the zealous appreciation of my mom and sisters.

-Cara