Blueberry Coffee Cake

Will is adorable. When I told him I was going to make a blueberry coffee cake, he quizzed me on how the coffee gets in there whether it be by using the grounds or pouring brewed coffee into the batter recipe. Poor boy didn't realize that coffee cake typically is made sans coffee, but instead to go with coffee. Needless to say, this has not been a bad discovery for him. We have been enjoying this coffee cake every morning this week and it has that nice sugar flavor, but with the anchoring healthy flavor of blueberries. Seeing this recipe was actually one of the reasons I so desperately wanted to buy the Simply in Season cookbook. We had been buying a lot of blueberries and while I know they're good for you, I was getting a bit burned out of yogurt, granola and blueberries. So when I saw this recipe, I knew it would be a good way to still be eating blueberries (albeit not the absolute healthiest), but without the everyday humdrum of yogurt and granola.

I'm not sure what kind of pan they used in the original recipe because it says it serves 9. I made it in my 9 x 9 pan and we cut it up in 16 pieces like brownies, which makes the pieces the perfect size for a quick little breakfast. I also always recommend using Crisco to grease a baking pan with because it doesn't leave a residue like a cooking spray does and it's a lot less messy. I just scoop a little with a paper towel and spread it all over a baking sheet for a nice, easy clean up when everything's done!

Final tidbit-the coffee cake tastes great if you stick in it the microwave for 20 seconds on power level 8 (so you don't scorch it) before eating it. The book also suggests trying it warm with milk poured on top.

Blueberry Coffee Cake (adapted from Simply in Season; serves 12)
1 cup flour
1/2 cup whole wheat flour (I actually used this flour for once instead of just using more normal unbleached flour!)
1/2 cup sugar
1 tbsp baking powder (this seems like a TON but it's correct)
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 cups blueberries
1 tsp lemon peel (grated and optional-I skipped this)
1 egg
1/2 cup milk
1/4 cup butter (melted)

For the topping:
1/3 cup sugar
1/3 cup whole wheat flour
1/3 cup walnuts (chopped; another nut is fine as well)
2 tbsp butter (I realized after the fact I should have sliced it onto the batter once it was in the pan, before sprinkling the rest of the topping over it, to get a more even melt)
1 tsp ground cinnamon

Preheat oven to 425. Combine flour, whole wheat flour, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon and salt in a large mixing bowl. Gently fold in blueberries and optional lemon peel. In a separate bowl, whisk together the egg, milk, and melted butter. Add it to the flour mixture and stir carefully so blueberries do not get crushed. Batter will become stiff. Spread into greased baking pan.

Mix together topping ingredients (although I recommend doing the butter separately from the other ingredients). Place sliced butter on top of batter and then sprinkle dry ingredients on top. Bake until top is light golden brown, 20-25 minutes. Serve warm.

You can see in the picture that I had a lot of loose topping after the fact (which still tastes really good), but the parts where it's dark is where the butter had been and melted the most. Thus why I recommend strategically placing the sliced butter on top of the batter before sprinkling on the dry ingredients, so it will absorb more of the dry ingredients!