It’s a cold, rainy April in Maine which for me means a great day to be busy in the kitchen! This delightful recipe is from an undated vintage very well-loved pamphlet in my collection, “Maine Blueberry Recipes…” Seventh Edition, Published by The Maine Department of Agriculture. Margaret Chase Smith, who is credited as the creator of this recipe, was a very inspirational Mainer:

After months of denying rumors that she would seek the top of the Republican ticket or the vice presidential nomination, Senator Margaret Chase Smith announced her run for President in January 1964. “I have few illusions and no money, but I’m staying for the finish,” she noted, “When people keep telling you, you can’t do a thing, you kind of like to try.” Smith embarked on her typical grass–roots campaign—losing every primary but picking up a surprising high of 25 percent of the vote in Illinois. At the 1964 Republican Convention, she became the first woman to have her name put in for nomination for the presidency by a major political party. Receiving the support of just 27 delegates and losing the nomination to Senate colleague Barry Goldwater, it was a symbolic achievement.

I’ve learned, as a collector of vintage cookbooks and recipes, that the best-tasting results are the from the recipes that show the most mileage on them evidenced by souvenirs made of spilled remnants (sounds better than stains). Whomever owned this pamphlet before it came into my possession definitely put it to use!

I followed the recipe but substituted these ingredients to make it gluten-free:

8 tbsp butter

1 cup sugar

2 large eggs

1 cup whole milk

1 1/2 cups Bob’s Red Mill oat flour

1/2 cup Bob’s Red Mill tapioca flour

4 tsp aluminum-free baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp nutmeg

1 cup (ideally) Maine blueberries

In lieu of frosting I whipped 2 cups of organic heavy cream from a local farm (they still use old-fashioned glass bottles!)  and 2 tbsp organic sugar.

I’ve also made the cake with half the amount of sugar and butter with twice as many blueberries as a variation. You can of course omit the whipped cream or use less. It’s your cake to bake!

Enjoy!