Wednesday, June 17, 2015

Blueberry Crumb Cake


When I downloaded the above photo, it actually took my breath away.  It's  amazing and so is the recipe. Blueberries are on my list when we shop next week. Many thanks Carol for this post and all the recipes you shared with us. Stats don't lie and many, many people loved what you posted.

This is last week that Carol and Cyndy will join me for "theme" week. If you have enjoyed their post please email me and let me know.  I'm sure they would love to come back!




                                                          Blueberry Crumb Cake

Some people collect figurines...some collect antiques....I collect....cookbooks.  Especially community cookbooks. You know the ones....churches, schools, civic organizations put them together to sell for fund raisers.  I scour rummage sales, yard sales, flea markets and book sales looking for these books every chance I get.  I have a VAST collection of them, along with loads of other cookbooks from all over-ALL of them treasures to me. My Mom loved collecting cookbooks and passed that love to me.  Some people read novels at night. Not me.....I read COOKBOOKS, dog earing page after page of recipes I can't wait to try.

I was so happy to see blueberries on sale at our grocery store a few weeks ago. Not only do I love to eat them, I REALLY love to bake with them.  I have a great blueberry muffin recipe that I make all the time and adore, but I wanted to try something different....AND use one of these fantastic cookbooks I have on bookshelves waiting for me to crack open and use.

When I came upon this recipe, I knew I'd found just what I wanted....it was easy, made a small cake which I love since there's just 2 of us, and used every day ingredients I always have on hand.


I made the crumb topping first, figuring it's easy to make and pop in the refrigerator to be ready to sprinkle right over top of the batter.  Once the flour, sugar and cinnamon were mixed, I grated ice cold butter on my box grater on the side with the large holes-it makes it makes it easy to toss the shreds of butter into the dry ingredients. You can also use a pastry cutter. It was a warm day when I was making this and the butter softened pretty quickly. That didn't give me quite the coarse crumbs I wanted, so I just added a little more flour to the mixture to form coarse crumbs. Once I was happy with the way the topping looked, I popped the bowl in the refrigerator while I made the cake batter.

Also-don't use margarine for the crumb topping-it's way too soft and the crumbs turn into a crust once baked...ask me how I know that?!  Live and learn......

I stayed true to the recipe as written, just adding a teaspoon of vanilla extract to the cake batter......after all, what's a cake without vanilla?  To me?  Flat in taste.  Had I had a fresh lemon in the crisper drawer, I would have added the grated zest of 1 lemon and 1 teaspoon of lemon extract along with the vanilla....lemon goes so well with blueberries....OR orange extract and orange zest. Linda's Blueberry Orange Juice Bread above is a true testament to how wonderful THAT flavor combination is. I can't wait to try that recipe!

This cake can be served right from the pan OR line the pan with parchment paper and serve it from a large plate.  I've included the method I use for lining the pan in the recipe instructions.

I've made this cake 3 times since I found the recipe....once for a church bake sale and it sold in no time.  It's SO incredibly good.  The cake is moist and not overly sweet, which I like in a coffee cake. The blueberries are the star, which is as it should be. The light crumb topping adds just the right touch of sweetness to seal the deal. This cake is the perfect size-I had some to share with our neighbor and plenty left to keep us happy.

If you love blueberries, give this easy-to-make coffee cake a try.....I think you're gonna love it.


As always, thank you SO much for having me as a guest poster, Linda. I have so much fun sharing recipes with you and your readers,

Carol 



BLUEBERRY CRUMB CAKE
(Source:  slightly adapted from Favorite Recipes From The Hannah Dustin Quilters Guild, Hudson, NH cookbook-recipe submitted by Eleanor J. Ferreira)

CRUMB TOPPING:
1/2 c. granulated sugar
1/4 c. all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon

1/4 c. cold butter, no substitutions

CAKE:
2 c. sifted all-purpose flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 c. butter or margarine, softened
3/4 c. granulated sugar
1 large egg
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
1/2 c. milk
2 c. fresh or frozen blueberries (if using frozen berries, do not thaw)


Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Grease and flour an 8x8-inch baking pan. I usually serve this cake directly from the pan, but on occasions that I want to have it on a serving plate, I spray the pan lightly with nonstick cooking spray, then line the pan with 2 pieces of parchment paper, criss-crossed one piece over the other, with at least 2" excess paper hanging over each side of the pan. The cooking spray holds the paper in place and allows you to smooth it out to fit the pan. Set the pan aside.

For the crumb topping, combine the sugar, 1/4 c. flour and cinnamon in a small mixing bowl until well mixed.  Cut in the butter until the mixture becomes crumbly.  I grate ice cold butter on the large hole side of a box grater, then toss it into the flour mixture with a fork and my fingers until everything is mixed and forms coarse crumbs. If you find the crumb mixture looks a little too wet, add a little more flour and mix it in until well combined and the mixture looks crumbly. Sometimes if your butter gets a little too soft, it clumps rather than makes coarse crumbs.

Place the bowl of topping in the refrigerator while mixing the cake batter.

For the cake, whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt in a medium bowl.  Set aside.

In a large bowl, cream the butter and sugar on medium speed of an electric mixer until very well combined.  Beat in the egg and vanilla.  Add the dry ingredients to the creamed mixture alternately with the milk, beginning and ending with the dry ingredients, beating just until combined.

Toss the berries in 1-2 Tbsp. of all-purpose flour, then gently fold them into the cake batter.

Spread the cake batter evenly in the prepared pan.  Sprinkle the crumb topping evenly over the top.

Bake @ 350 degrees for 40-45 minutes or until golden brown and a pick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean.


Place the pan on a wire rack. If you used parchment paper in the pan, let the cake cool about 10 minutes.  Make sure all 4 sides of the cake and paper are loosened from the pan. Use the "handles" to gently lift the cake out of the pan. Remove the paper from the sides and bottom of the cake and place it on a wire rack to cool completely before transferring it to a serving plate. Whether serving from a plate or directly from the pan, allow the cake to cool completely before cutting.  Makes 9 servings. 

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63 comments:

  1. Another delicious recipe! Thanks, Carol!

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    1. Thanks Angela-it's a great cake-and easy too...another plus.

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  2. I am Craving a piece of this cake. You know me, I'm making this tonight when I get home. I love blueberries and this is perfect. Thanks Carol. OK, I admit it... I'm addicted to cookbooks :)

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    1. I hope you like it if you give it a try Cyndy....Bob is still talking about it.....he loves it. So do I :)

      I'm determined to stick to the "old way" and start using my cookbooks again...too many hidden treasures that are between the covers of those books that need to be made to see the light of day.....

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  3. This looks incredible, Carol! Bravo! 😍

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    1. Thanks so much Blair-it's delicious. One of my new go-to recipes for sure.

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  4. WOW. Another beauty Carol. I might just have to get over my blueberry non taste, and try them again. I don't know what it is with me, I just have something happen while I was eating it one time, and then give up on what it was. Time for me to grow up. This cake looks so good, and Carol, I learn so much from your posts. I never would have thought to use a cheese grater for butter...usually I end up with greasy fingers from trying to cut the pieces. I also never thought of using parchment paper to line the pans, and have it overlap to lift. I am so very happy that you were a guest blogger on here, I have learned so much from you. I love coffeecake, and I must put this one on the list to try. It was wonderful having both you and Cyndy on as guests for the past few weeks, you will be missed, and hope you visit again real soon.

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    1. Aw thanks Myra. I hope you give blueberries another try...not only are they good for you, they make a GREAT coffee cake. :)

      I love sharing tidbits from the kitchen that work for me. Like you, I was always getting my hands all greasy trying to work butter into crumb toppings when I didn't wanna drag out my pastry cutter for a small amount. Grating it on the box grater really worked well. I've read that tip in quite a few cookbooks and finally gave it a try...WHAT did I wait so long for? Sheesh.........

      That parchment paper trick I learned from Carla Hall and Clinton Kelly on "The Chew"....that's a nifty one. I use it all the time on the Greek Yogurt bars I make...I do the same thing with foil only I mold it onto the bottom of the pan, flip the pan over and then lay the molded foil inside the pan and smooth the corners. I make sure I have extra on the edges for "handles"....makes getting brownies and bars out of the pan super easy and they're much easier to cut on a flat surface too. Now cutting them into even squares.....oh man do I stink at that-even WITH a ruler......I make Bob do it if he's home. He's the technical engineer in the family......

      BTW-use a plastic knife when you cut brownies...nice clean cuts with those...who knew??????? :)

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    2. Ok, now I know the secret to cutting brownies......I always have the worst time with them, they never come out easy, and I think I eat more than I would normally eat with a whole one.....all the brownies left in the pan when my knife don't do the trick. Boy, I would love to see a blog on tips in the kitchen. Thanks again

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  5. Love everything with blueberries! Coming from Ivy and Elephants Link Party!

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    1. Thanks Christine-we love blueberries too.....

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  6. This looks so good... we love blueberries. :)

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    1. Thanks so much for taking a look-blueberries are one of my favorites.....

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  7. I am a BIG blueberry fan and love them in all kinds of recipes, especially sweet ones! Thanks for bringing this to the Fiesta Friday party :)

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  8. Yum, yum!!! It took my breath away, too! Thank you so much for sharing with us.
    Hugs,
    Patti

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    1. Thanks so much Patti-I hope you enjoy it if you decide to give it a try. :)

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  9. Pinning this one too! It's just beautiful. I didn't know it was blueberry week. Who decides this and why aren't they letting me know? :)

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    1. Thanks for the pin, Julie. I love Linda's great idea for blueberry week-we sure do love blueberries in this house so this was the perfect reason to hunt down a new recipe using them.

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  10. More blueberry yummyness! Thanks so much for sharing this one with us at Fiesta Friday!

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    1. Thank you Michelle! I LOVE the name of your blog....it makes me smile-and you're right-life IS too short to skip dessert. Let's go have some. :)

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  11. I want some crumb cake right now! No better way to enjoy blueberries!

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    1. I wish I could pass you a piece Joann....it's delicious! :)

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  12. I love collecting cookbooks as well and can look at them for hours. This recipe looks tasty and great for afternoon tea. Thanks for sharing with us at #AnythingGoes

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    1. SO nice to chat with another cookbook collector. I swear I can't wait for bedtime so I can grab my cookbook stash and start reading. Even the ones I've had here for years hold things I swear I didn't see the first time I went through them. Reading them NEVER gets old to me...they're all treasures.

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  13. This cake looks fabulous. I'm a sucker for all things blueberry. For years I've been using Ina Garten's blackberry crumb cake recipe subbing in blueberries but I'd love to try another one. You can never have enough crumb cake, in my opinion... or maybe it's the pregnancy speaking ;)

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    1. I agree with you Jelli B.......crumb cake is the best! I think your baby probably agrees. :)

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  14. My mom would LOVE this! It sounds delicious!

    Thanks for joining Cooking and Crafting with J & J!

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    1. I hope your Mom enjoys this if you give it a try, Jess....

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  15. I love anything with blueberries!! Thank you for sharing at the Thursday Favorite Things blog hop. Watch for your feature tomorrow xo

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    1. I'm with you Katherine-I can't wait for blueberry season here-we love them too. Thanks so much! :)

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  16. YUM - looks delicious!! Pinned it to try one day for my family! :)

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    1. Thanks for the pin Jamie-I hope you and your family enjoy this cake if you decide to give it a try some day. :)

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  17. YUM YUM YUM. That looks SO delish! Thanks so much for taking the time to link up with us over at the #HomeMattersParty - we hope to see you again on Friday!

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    1. Thanks Kristen-it's super yummy and very easy too. Enjoy! :)

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  18. This looks so yummy! :)

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    1. Thank you Somer-it's a very delicious, super easy cake to make.....and easy to eat too :)

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  19. YUMMMMMM!!! I have been looking for a recipe like this? Thank you for sharing.
    Blessings,

    Dawn

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    1. You're very welcome, Dawn....I hope you enjoy it as much as we do if you give it a try. :)

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  20. It looks delicious but not for me :-(
    I don't eat eggs,any substitution for this :-)

    www.rocketlooks.com

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    1. Ritu, I honestly don't know what a good substitute for eggs would be in this....I hate to give advice that I haven't tried yet. If you find one, I hope you enjoy the cake. :)

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  21. This looks Yummy!! Thanks for Linking up on My 2 Favorite Things on Thursday!! Hope to see you again tomorrow!! I love having You!! Pinned!!

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  22. We would just love your lovely Blueberry Crumb Cake. Thanks so much for sharing your post with Full Plate Thursday and have a great day!
    Come Back Soon,
    Miz Helen

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    1. Thank you Miz Helen-you have a wonderful day. :)

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  23. This looks so yummy! Thanks for sharing with us at the Merry Monday link party. Hope to see you again next week! Sharing your post on Twitter!

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  24. Hi Carol blueberries are delicious and this looks like a great recipe to try. Perfect with a cup of coffee or my favourite Earl Grey Tea. Thanks for sharing with us at #WednesdaysWisdom

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    1. Hi Sue-this cake is the PERFECT side kick to coffee or a nice cup of tea. Just sweet enough and so so good. I hope you enjoy it if you give it a try. :)

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  25. Love the blog, love if you stop by Fabulous Friday to share your posts, I party every two weeks, so it be great if you have a few minutes! Here is the link, Thanks Maria
    http://www.simplenaturedecorblog.com/fabulous-friday-party32/

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    1. Hi Maria-this wonderful blog isn't mine-it's my good friend Linda's. I'm thrilled and honored that she asked me to guest post.

      I'll be happy to pass your information on to her. :)

      Carol

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  26. You had me a crumb cake! This looks delicious! Thank you for sharing this at the #SmallVictoriesSundayLinkup!

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    1. Thanks so much Echo-it's one fantastic-and EASY cake, that's for sure. :)

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  27. I love blueberries too and this looks delicious - Thanks for linking up to Pin Worthy Wednesday, I have pinned your post to the Pin Worthy Wednesday Pinterest Board.

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  28. Blueberry crumb cake looks delicious, I love blueberry in my bakes, pinning and tweeting thanks for sharing with Hearth and soul blog hop.

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    1. Thank you for the tweet and pin, Swathi-I love blueberries too! :)

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  29. The perfect dessert or breakfast for me!! Thank you so much for linking up at Tasty Tuesday! This post has been pinned on the Tasty Tuesday Pinterest board! I love having you and can't wait to see you next week!

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  30. Thank you! I agree-it's a SUPER cake for breakfast-not too sweet and full of fruit. Enjoy! :)

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  31. That is a really succulent looking cake, I bet it tasted refreshing and tasty.

    Thanks for linking up to Tuesday Tutorials

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  32. I think this would work great as a breakfast coffee cake. Thanks for adding this to the #funsummerfinds linkup!

    Shellie
    www.thefabjourney.com

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