Blueberry Crumb Cake

The first time I made this coffee cake was two years ago when John and I went to visit his grandparents. It’s fitting, then, that I should blog about this as we’re on our way to Cape Cod to see them.

A trip to the Cape can only mean one thing: food. The busy season is over, so most of the tourists and summer regulars have left. What this means for me is less traffic and shorter waits at restaurants.

There will be fried seafood (I can almost taste the fresh oysters and scallops!), there will be lobstah, and there will undoubtedly be dessert.

My fiancé’s family has a soft spot for blueberry desserts and coffee ice cream. There’s a little bakery out on the Cape (Marion’s) that has the most amazing blueberry pie I’ve ever tried. They use wild Maine blueberries, which are slightly smaller and sweeter than what you might find at the grocery store. Pick up a pie, serve it up a la mode with a scoop of coffee ice cream, and relish in the simple pleasure of good food.

Today, however, is not about blueberry pie. Today is about blueberry coffee cake. The only coffee cake I ever make.

What you’ll need:

Directions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter and flour a 9-inch round baking pan. If you have a springform pan, use it – it will make your life simpler.

For the streusel: Combine the granulated sugar, brown sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg in a bowl.

Stir in the melted butter and then flour.

Do you see something wrong with the above picture?

My assistant in the kitchen that day melted the butter as requested, but didn’t let it separate. It’s just barely melted. This affected the texture of the crumble slightly, but certainly not the taste. Just saying so you’ll be aware.

Mix well and set aside.

For the cake:

Cream the butter and sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment on high speed for 4 to 5 minutes, until light.

Reduce the speed to low and add the eggs 1 at a time, then add the vanilla, lemon zest, and sour cream.

In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.

With the mixer on low speed, add the flour mixture to the batter until just combined.

Before you add the blueberries, toss them in a separate bowl with about ¼ cup of flour. Coating the berries with flour should help prevent them from sinking to the bottom of your batter.

Fold in the blueberries.

I just found out that one of my sisters-in-law doesn’t like blueberries. If you, like her, are averse to these sweet little berries, why not try the same recipe with strawberries or raspberries? If you go with something like apples, add a teaspoon or two of cinnamon. I’m making a mental note for myself to try this in the upcoming weeks. Fall is officially here.

Spoon the batter into the prepared pan and spread it out with a knife or spatula.

With your fingers, crumble the topping evenly over the batter. Bake for 40 minutes, or until a cake tester comes out clean. Cool completely and serve sprinkled with confectioners’ sugar.

…or with a nice scoop of coffee ice cream.

As you can see, this is a baby slice. Baby slices are generally inappropriate, but I had a big dinner. And I needed the coffee ice cream. So I settled for a baby slice.

Think about it: while I’m feasting on fried scallops and pie, you could be at home enjoying this coffee cake.

And now I’m off to end some poor lobster’s life. Hey, it’s for a good cause.