So I promise I’m not turning this into a baking blog. But I’ve definitely been baking more than I ever would have expected when I started this blog. For anyone who has followed from the very beginning I started as an anti-baker and I swore I wouldn’t be making desserts for the blogosphere.
Fast forward and now nearly every other post is about what I’m baking. Although cooking will always be my first love- I like the fact that it’s more free and you can be experimental and tweak things until the very end- I’ve come to appreciate the relaxing and meditative aspect of baking, and there is definitely a satisfaction that comes from popping open the oven for a prescribed period of time and later being rewarded with what your mixture of ingredients have become.
Not to mention that baking is one of the best ways to highlight seasonal produce!
And I come from the land of blueberry farms (southwest Michigan), so I just can’t go a July without having some blueberries in my life.
So behold- a gloriously struesel topped Blueberry Coffee Cake.This recipe comes from King Arthur Flour’s website. P.s. I actually have found that they have some excellent and reliable baking recipes over on their site, and recommend them as a good source of recipes.
However, I have to admit that I was a bit concerned about this particular recipe due to how dense and thick the batter was as I was mixing the ingredients. It was quite a delicate process folding in the blueberries without crushing them, but I was more or less successful.
I smeared the batter into my 8×8 baking dish and popped it into the oven and prayed. But I really shouldn’t have worried- 45 minutes later emerged a delightfully moist yet dense blueberry coffee cake. The cinnamon sugar struesel really took it over the top as well.
Husband Dave, ever a dessert depreciator, even managed to roll his eyes back with bliss at the first bite of this coffee cake. It even made it’s way in a little baggie with him to Texas on his latest business trip.
So hope you find something lovely to do with your latest crop of blueberries. If it were me, I’d definitely consider popping 2 cups of them into a delicious coffee cake batter and eating half the pan solo. 😉
Blueberry Coffee Cake
Ingredients
_For the Struesel_
- 1/3 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 cup butter softened
_For the Coffee Cake_
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 3/4 cups sugar
- 1/4 cup butter softened
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup milk
- 2 cups fresh blueberries may substitute frozen, but may affect baking times
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
- Grease an 8x8 baking tin with shortening or butter.
- To make the streusel- in a medium bowl combine the sugar, flour, cinnamon, and salt. Mix together until combined. Add the butter and using your fingers, mix together until evenly distributed and crumbly. Set aside.
- In a separate medium mixing bowl add the flour, baking powder, and salt. Whisk to combine.
- In a larger mixing bowl beat together the butter and sugar until fluffy. Add the egg and the vanilla. Beat until well combined.
- Add the flour mixture in 3 additions, alternating with the milk. Beat until just combined, but don't over-mix. The batter will be quite thick.
- Fold in the blueberries carefully.
- Spread into the prepared pan and sprinkle with the struesel topping.
- Bake for 40-45 minutes or until toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
- Cool in the pan on a cooling rack before slicing into squares.
I don’t mind at all that you’ve been serving up some delicious dessert recipes lately Sarah! This coffeecake looks amazing! The more blueberries during the summer the better! I would not have been able to stop at one piece that’s for sure!!
Thanks for the encouragement.. I ate way more than my share of this cake… 😉
I”m not much of a baker myself, but this recipe will definitely be making it into my repertoire! Love the combo! 🙂
Definitely an easy to make cake too!
I too am more of a cook than a baker, but in the summer (and cold of winter) I love baking. In the summer – like you said – highlighting seasonal fruit (like this blueberry coffee cake – NEED asap!) and in the winter I love making cookies and things for the holidays. I say to have fun in the kitchen no matter what season 😉
Yes!! Baking this time of year is all about the seasonal fruit!
I love your beautiful blueberry coffee cake. So pretty! I find baking therapeutic as well (I suspect that’s obvious 😉
Hehe yes indeed! Glad you liked this one 🙂
This cake looks wonderful It sounds (and looks) very similar to an old recipe for Blueberry Buckle that I make once or twice each summer. Buckle is an archaic name for a one-layer cake.
I actually toyed with the idea of calling this a Buckle and then decided to go with coffee cake instead. I’d love to try your version!
The cake looks delicious but where is the coffee in the ingredients. Or is it a cake to go with coffee?
Oh! Haha! Actually in the states coffee cake is basically just a sticky, dense, crumbly cake to go along with coffee. It’s usually served for breakfast 🙂 Sorry for the confusion!
You have to bake with those gorgeous blueberries! Bring on the baking! This looks awesome!
Thank you so much Karen! Really appreciate it 🙂
No need to apologise for baking around here – I can never go past a gorgeous cake or slice like this. Some of my favourite days of the week are the ones where I have time to sit down with coffee and cake for morning tea – and I can imagine that this blueberry cake would fit the bill perfectly. Love the sound of the streusel on top too!
Hi there just would like some help on with a good coffee cake that did
not call for blueberry in still could
used.stawberry or.peach and with
sour cream and maybe some maspone cheese and add.some pecan so tell me if you thing it be
good in.there just put it out there
see what the people come up with
for me