Blueberry Coffee Cake

I don't about you, but when I'm having friends over for a spur of the moment brunch, I want to have coffee cake.

So yesterday, I had Mr. Food Musings whip one up.

(Tee hee. Maybe I like being a working girl after all.)

He did a marvelous job, even though he used too much butter (is there really such a thing?). This recipe makes a moist cake that's not too dense, with blueberries along the crust and a brown sugar crumb topping that's finished off with powdered sugar.  I had two pieces at brunch, and I would happily have another if my zipper wasn't already protesting so vehemently.

Amanda's Blueberry Coffee Cake
from Celebrate! by Sheila Lukins
Serves 12

The recipe calls for blueberries, which Mr. FM loves, but I think any berry -- or other fruit, for that matter -- would work nicely. Or you could just as well do without. If you want to serve this as a mid-morning dessert, try it with a dollop of creme fraiche.

12 TBSP cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
2 c. flour
1 c. sugar
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
3/4 c. buttermilk
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/2 c. fresh blueberries
1/4 c. packed brown sugar
powdered sugar for dusting

Preheat the oven to 350º. Butter a 9-inch springform pan. Combine the flour, sugar, salt, and 10 TBSP of the butter in a bowl and mix with an electric mixer until it resembles coarse meal, about 1 minute. Remove 1 cup of the mixture and set aside for the topping.

Add the baking powder and baking soda to the remaining mixture in the bowl and stir to combine. With the mixer running on low, add the buttermilk, egg, and vanilla. Mix the ingredients for 1 minute on high to aerate the batter. Fold in the blueberries and scrape the batter into the springform pan.

Place the reserved cup of topping in a bowl with the brown sugar and remaining 2 TBSP butter. Mix with your fingers until crumbly. Sprinkle this over the batter. Bake until a toothpick comes out clean, 1 hour or so.

Cool on a wire rack, then remove the sides of the springform pan. Sift powdered sugar over the top.

Comments

[mom]

Looks/sounds delish! AND according to Paula Deen, you can NEVER have too much butter (or high cholesterol, as the case may be)!

[jeanne bee]

what a baking coincidence...I made a blueberry coffee cake on Saturday--and a very similiar recipe. the only variation was 3x as much b.pwdr; I also substituted cardamom for cinnamon and baked it in a 7" springform--it's a tall beauty!

Yours in the cosmic kitchen! :-)

[Cynthia]

Mr FM's coffee cake rocks! :)

[The Cooking Ninja]

I'm already drooling over your Mr FM's coffee cake.

[Catherine]

Mom -- Amen, Paula!

Jeanne -- I guess blueberry love is in the air!

Cynthia -- if only you had had a taste.

Cooking Ninja -- I was going to bring the leftovers into work but they somehow disappeared...

[Doug Cress]

That reminds me of the cake my parents used to pick up from a little bakery. This looks every bit as delicious. Although the one I'm familiar with employed a crumbly brown sugar/butter crumbling crust and was slightly taller.

[Tammy]

That's a good husband you got there.

I always enjoy your comments on my blog, by the way. I have some Southern family, myself, so we'll have to compare notes once I finish with the Italians.