Blue Majority Blueberry Crumble Coffee Cake
With a vaccine and blue majorities in the Presidency, House, and Senate, it’s time for a little celebration this 4th of July weekend.
This blueberry crumble coffee cake will literally bring a (lemon) zesty start to your day. It’s sweet, tart, crisp, crunchy — all the things you could want in a blueberry coffee cake. And what is America if not the diversity of textures and flavors, united into a delicious whole?
Recipe very lightly adapted from Once Upon a Chef with Jenn Segal
INGREDIENTS
FOR THE STREUSEL TOPPING
6 tablespoons packed light brown sugar
1/2 cup all-purpose flour, spooned into measuring cup and leveled-off
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, cold, cut into 1/2-inch chunks
2-4 tablespoons of crumbled pecans (add to taste)
FOR THE CAKE
2 cups all-purpose flour, spooned into measuring cup and leveled-off
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter, softened
3/4 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1-1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 teaspoon packed lemon zest, from 1 lemon
1/2 cup milk
2 cups fresh blueberries (frozen may be used but do not defrost)
INSTRUCTIONS
Preheat the oven to 375°F and set an oven rack in the middle position. Grease a 9-inch square pan with butter or nonstick cooking spray.
Make the streusel topping. Combine the brown sugar, flour, cinnamon, pecans, and salt in a small bowl. Using your fingers, mix until no lumps of brown sugar remain. Rub in the butter with your fingertips until it reaches a crumbly state.
Hopefully our nation will not achieve a crumbly state, but crumbly streusel topping is delicious.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside.
Beat the butter and granulated sugar until creamy (about 2 minutes with an electric mixer, longer by hand).
You’ve been creamed!
Add the eggs one at a time, scraping down the sides of the bowl and beating well after each addition. Consistency will change dramatically. Beat in the vanilla extract and lemon zest.
Smooth like buttah. Well, eggs and buttah.
Gradually add the flour mixture, alternating with the milk, beating on low speed / gently by hand to combine. Add the berries to the batter and fold gently with a spatula until evenly distributed. Do not over-mix.
My lumps, my lumps, my lumps, my lumps. Check it out!
Transfer the batter to the prepared pan and spread evenly. Sprinkle the streusel topping evenly over the batter.
Hey, batter, batter! This streusel is almost home safe.
Bake for 40 to 45 minutes, until golden brown around the edges and a cake tester comes out clean. Let cool in the pan on a rack for about 20 minutes, then serve right from the pan. Best eaten that day, though will keep well for a few days wrapped in foil and stored at room temp.
A full loaf
Lord of the loaf! Happy birthday, America!
