Blueberry and White Chocolate Traybake
Soft vanilla sponge filled with white chocolate and juicy blueberries, finished with a light dusting of icing sugar.
Tony Says...
"Some of the best bakes aren't reserved just for celebrations—they're the ones you cut into on a Sunday afternoon with a good cup of coffee."
The Story Behind the Dish
Some recipes are all about elegance. Others are all about comfort. This one somehow manages to be both.
I wanted to create a traybake that felt like something you'd discover in the window of a small European bakery—golden, generously studded with fruit and just sweet enough without becoming overpowering. White chocolate melts gently into the sponge, while the blueberries burst as they bake, adding little pockets of sweetness and colour throughout.
I have found a few recipes that worked online but all were way too sweet and didn't come out quite fluffy and soft enough. So I have adapted the best parts of each into this final recipe.
Finished with a simple dusting of icing sugar, it's the kind of cake that doesn't need elaborate decoration. Whether it's served with afternoon coffee, taken to a family gathering or enjoyed as a weekend treat, it's one of those bakes that always disappears faster than you'd expect.
Recipe Information
- ⏱ Prep Time - 20 minutes
- 🍲 Cook Time - 40 minutes
- ⌛ Total Time - 1 Hour
- 🍽️ Serves - 16
- ⭐ Difficulty - Easy
- 🔥 Calories - 266 kcal
- 💪 Protein - 4g
- 🌾 Carbohydrates - 28g
- 🥑 Fat - 16g
Kitchen Essentials
- 23cm square cake tin
- Baking paper
- Mixing bowl
- Electric mixer
- Hand blender
- Fine grater
- Cooling rack
- Small sieve (for icing sugar)
- Optional for Thermomix Users - This recipe has been tailored for the TM6, but it should also work perfectly with the TM5 and TM7 models with little or no adjustment. If using a Thermomix you will not be needing the mixing bowl, electric mixer, hand blender or the fine grater.
Gather Your Ingredients
Traybake
- 200g white chocolate
- Zest of ½ orange
- 220g unsalted butter, softened (plus extra for greasing)
- 135g caster sugar
- 3 medium eggs
- 1 tsp vanilla sugar
- 220g plain flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp fine sea salt
- 125g fresh blueberries (or frozen, thawed)
To Finish
- Icing sugar, for dusting (if using a thermomix, you can blend normal sugar for 10 seconds on speed 10)
Method
- Prepare the tin - Preheat the oven to 180°C. Grease a 23cm square cake tin with butter and line the base with baking paper.
- Prepare the Chocolate - Reserve a piece of 40g. The rest, If using a block or callets, chop the white chocolate into small chunks and set aside. Separately, finely grate the 40g that you have reserved.
- Make the Batter - Finely blend or grind the orange zest with the caster sugar until fragrant. Add the softened butter, sugar mixture, eggs and vanilla sugar, then beat until smooth and creamy. Add the flour, baking powder and sea salt and mix until just combined, taking care not to overmix. Fold the white chocolate through the batter by hand.
- Add the Blueberries - Transfer the batter to the prepared tin and spread evenly. Scatter the blueberries over the top, gently pressing them into the mixture with the back of a spoon.
- Bake - Bake for 40 minutes. After 25 minutes of baking, Sprinkle the finely grated white chocolate over the top - it will create a nice caramelised sprinkle. The cake is ready when lightly golden and a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean.
- Finish - Allow the traybake to cool completely in the tin before removing. Dust generously with icing sugar before cutting into squares. Easiest way to cut this is cutting in half horizontally and vertically giving you 4 squares. Then cut each of these in half horizontally and vertically again giving you a total of 16 squares.
Thermomix Method
This recipe has been tailored for the Thermomix TM6, but it should also work with the TM5 and TM7 models with little or no adjustment.
- Prepare the tin - Preheat the oven to 180°C. Grease a 23cm square cake tin with butter and line the base with baking paper. If making your own icing sugar in the thermomix its good to do this now before you get the bowl dirty.
- Prepare the Chocolate - Place small chocolate pieces or callets in your mixing bowl and chop: 4 sec | Speed 6. You want small chopped chunks not a finely grated chocolate. Place 40g of the largest pieces back into the bowl and grind: 3 sec | Speed 10. You want very finely ground white chocolate to sprinkle on top during baking. set aside separately from the chopped white chocolate chunks.
- Make the Batter - Place orange peel and the caster sugar in the mixing bowl and grind: 10 sec | Speed 10. Add the softened butter, eggs and vanilla sugar and mix: 40 sec | Speed 4. Add the flour, baking powder and sea salt and mix: 15 sec | Speed 5. You want the mixture just about combined being careful to not overmix it. Fold the white chocolate through the batter by hand.
- Add the Blueberries - Transfer the batter to the prepared tin and spread evenly. Scatter the blueberries over the top, gently pressing them into the mixture with the back of a spoon.
- Bake - Bake for 40 minutes. After 25 minutes of baking, Sprinkle the finely grated white chocolate over the top - it will create a nice caramelised sprinkle. The cake is ready when lightly golden and a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean.
- Finish - Allow the traybake to cool completely in the tin before removing. Dust generously with icing sugar before cutting into squares. Easiest way to cut this is cutting in half horizontally and vertically giving you 4 squares. Then cut each of these in half horizontally and vertically again giving you a total of 16 squares.
Tony's Tips
- Don't overmix once the flour is added to keep the sponge light and tender.
- Pressing the blueberries slightly into the batter helps distribute them evenly throughout the cake.
- This traybake is delicious slightly warm, but the flavours develop even more once completely cooled.
Good to Know
- Keeps in an airtight container for up to 4 days.
- Freeze individual slices for up to 3 months.
- Delicious served with coffee, tea or a scoop of vanilla ice cream.
At Tony's Table...
Some recipes don't need elaborate decoration or complicated techniques to become favourites. With buttery sponge, bursts of juicy blueberries and pockets of creamy white chocolate, this traybake is proof that simple baking is often the most rewarding. It's the sort of recipe you'll find yourself returning to whenever you need something dependable, comforting and guaranteed to bring people together.
...and remember, there's always room at Tony's Table.