Blueberry (or Blackberry) Cobbler? Crisp? Cake? Dessert.

Berries are ripening in Central KY, so that means fresh berries for one of our favorite desserts!  This can be made with blueberries, blackberries, or I suppose any other berries, though I haven't tried them.  But today I had blueberries, so it's blueberry cake. I never really know what to call this dessert.  It's sort of like a dump cake, but takes more effort than dump cake implies (though you could sub the fresh berries for a couple of cans of pie filling and call it a day).  It's sort of like a cobbler, but it feels like cheating to call it that.  So call it what you will - it will take just as delicious!

Add five cups of fresh, washed berries to a large pan over medium heat.  Sprinkle with five tablespoons of sugar, and just a pinch of salt to offset the sweetness because life is all about balance.

Cook the berries until they are warm and bubbly, and they start to release their juices and make some nice syrup.  Mix a tablespoon of cornstarch with 1/4 cup cold water, and then stir this into the berry mixture.  Let cook and reduce until you have a nice, thick berry mixture the consistency of pie filling (it usually takes less than 10 minutes).  Pour that beautiful berry goodness into your favorite 9x13 ish baking dish. Wait five minutes for the berries to cool and the steam to dissipate so you can take a decent photo.*  Realize you need to get out your actual camera if you want blog worthy food photos (sorry ridiculously expensive smartphone).*
*You can skip the last two steps unless you are wanting to show off your dessert too.

Melt 8 tablespoons of butter (yes, the whole stick - you'll thank me).  Open a package of yellow cake mix and dump into a bowl.  Mix the melted butter into the cake mix until completely moistened.  

Crumble the cake mixture over the berry mixture, covering as evenly as possible.  Sprinkle another tablespoon or two of sugar over the crust.  You don't necessarily have to, it will be plenty sweet enough, but it gives the crust a nice crunch and sheen, and go big or go home, right?

Pop the dessert in a preheated 350 degree oven.  Giggle at the baking dish your bf gave you for Christmas a few years ago, and be thankful for good friends.  Bake for 35-40 minutes, or until the crust is as golden brown as you want it.  Serve warm, with ice cream or cool whip if you feel extra decadent.
We may or may not have been known to have leftovers for breakfast.  Blueberries are fruit, after all ;).
Enjoy!

Full recipe without my unnecessary commentary:

5 cups blueberries or blackberries
5 Tbsp sugar, plus more to garnish
Pinch of salt
1 Tbsp cornstarch dissolve in 1/4 cup cool water
8 Tbsp butter, melted
1 package yellow cake mix

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Heat berries, sugar, and salt over medium heat in a large saucepan, stirring frequently.  When berries have started to soften and release their juices, add the cornstarch and water mixture.  Cook, stirring occasionally, until cooked down and thickened, about 10 minutes.  Pour into a lightly greased 9x13 baking dish.
Mix melted butter and cake mix until all of the cake mix is moistened and crumbly.  Crumble evenly over the berries.  Garnish with extra sugar (1-2 Tbsp) as desired.
Bake at 350F 35-40 minutes, or until crust is golden brown.