Blueberry Boy Bait

Blueberry Boy Bait is a pan of buttery cake studded with sweet, juicy blueberries.

For the past 15 summers, The Boy and I have attended Cambodian Heritage Camp in Fraser, Colorado. Dozens of families travel from across the United States to take part in the weekend camp. We gather to immerse ourselves in Khmer cultural workshops, activities and amazing food.

Our fellow campers represent a lovely potpourri of all religions, colors and lifestyles.  For four days, potential differences are set aside for the sake of our children.

We celebrate and learn about our children’s Cambodian heritage. Squeezing out every last second of our fleeting time together. And to treasure the fellowship with families “just like ours”.

Over the years, my son and I have been blessed to make lifelong friends at Cambodian Heritage Camp. Deep friendships forged by shared life experiences. And a love of our children’s Cambodian birth culture.

Sharing the joys and fears raising brown-skinned children in these uncertain times. These people “get me”. More important, they feed my soul.

One of the Dad’s offered to make Blueberry Boy Bait for the hungry masses.  You gotta love a man who packs a recipe for a weekend trip!

Soon the enticing aroma of baking Blueberry Boy Bait wafted through our cabin. Teenagers and parents gathered around the kitchen in anticipation of the yummy goodness.

In no time at all we were enjoying Blueberry Boy Bait warm from the oven – soooo good! And an instant later, a double batch was gone, not a single crumb left.

The recipe my friend shared with me is somewhat different than others I’ve found on the internet. My search revealed similar recipes with different toppings.  Some had a cinnamon sugar topping, some with glaze and some have a crumb topping like this version. My friend worked from a copy of a newspaper clipping of unknown origin.

I have also taken the liberty of reducing the amount of sugar. You can substitute frozen blueberries if berries are out of season.  If your budget allows, frozen Maine blueberries are worth the splurge. The smaller Maine berries taste amazing in this recipe.

Where the heck did the name come from?

I have to admit the recipe name intrigued me. My detective friend (aka Google) revealed a Chicago teenager created the dish. She hoped the buttery, berry-filled treat would help her attract a boyfriend.

After submitting the recipe to the Pillsbury baking contest in the 1950’s, she earned a 2nd place award in the Junior division. I couldn’t locate any reports on her success in landing a boyfriend.