Old-Fashioned Blueberry Coffee Cake

Blueberries are finally starting to taste good again. For months, they’ve been tasteless and mealy but with the advent of spring, they’re back in markets with a much better flavor and texture — just in time for a coffeecake.
The recipe is from Bon Appétit magazine and was just the thing for serving warm from the oven when three of my high school friends came visiting earlier this week. It holds up well too at room temperature, even for a couple of days. That is, if you can keep from eating the whole thing right away.
Old-Fashioned Blueberry Coffee Cake
(My notes in red.)
Ingredients
Servings: 8–12
Crumb Topping
- 1/2
cup
all-purpose flour - 1/4
cup
plus 2 tablespoons (packed) dark brown sugar - 1/2
teaspoon
kosher salt (I’d use just a pinch of table salt here next time.) - 1/4
cup
pecans, toasted, chopped - 3
tablespoons
chilled unsalted butter, cut into 1/4-inch cubes
Cake
- Nonstick vegetable oil spray
- 1 1/2
cups
all-purpose flour - 1
tablespoon
cornmeal - 1/2
teaspoon
baking powder - 1/2
teaspoon
baking soda - 1/4
teaspoon
kosher salt (I would use just a pinch of table salt next time) - 3/4
cup
plus 3 tablespoons sugar, divided - 6
tablespoons
(3/4 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature - 1/2
teaspoon
vanilla extract - 2
large eggs
- 1
cup
buttermilk - 1
tablespoon
ground cinnamon - 2
cups
fresh (or frozen, thawed) blueberries (about 10 ounces) - 1
tablespoon
panko (Japanese breadcrumbs) (not necessary – the Panko doesn’t really stick to the blueberries anyway)
Instructions:
-
Preheat oven to
350°. Coat 8 x 8 inch pan with nonstick spray. Line bottom with parchment paper;
set aside. (I used a buttered cast iron skillet.) Whisk flour, cornmeal, baking powder, baking soda, and salt
in a medium bowl; set aside. -
Using an
electric mixer on medium speed, beat 3/4 cup sugar and butter in a
medium bowl until light and fluffy, 3–4 minutes. Beat in vanilla. Add
eggs one at a time, beating to blend between additions and occasionally
scraping down sides of bowl, until mixture is pale and fluffy, 3–4
minutes longer. -
With mixer on
low speed, add dry ingredients to bowl in 3 additions, alternating with
buttermilk in 2 additions, beginning and ending with dry ingredients.
Pour half of batter into prepared pan and smooth top. Whisk remaining 3
Tbsp. sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl; sprinkle evenly over batter in
pan. Spoon remaining batter over; smooth top. -
Toss blueberries with panko in a small bowl; scatter evenly over batter. Sprinkle crumb topping over blueberries.
-
Bake cake until
top is golden brown and a tester inserted into the center comes out
clean, 55–65 minutes. Let cool completely in pan. DO AHEAD: Can be made 1
day ahead. Store airtight at room temperature.
Comments are closed.
It looks fantastic!
Cheers,
Rosa
Your coffee cake looks so good. I've always loved the crumbly topping on the cakes. We still have frozen blueberries from last season but they are almost gone. I'm glad to hear that they are tasting better because we really enjoy our blueberries. Frankly right now I'm hankering for some coffee — that cup in your photo has me craving caffeine. I'm pinning the recipe! Buona serata.
bella ricetta Linda, mi piacciono le torte croccanti e golose !
Blueberry prices really fluctuate here, right now they're so expensive but blackberries they're practically giving away, I bet this would be just as good with blackberries, love the topping!
re fiddleheads on your instagram page ( I can't get into it to answer there ). I steam them for a few minutes then toss in melted butter and usually serve with salmon. They are delicious. Sometimes I add almonds or mushrooms. Lisa
Ripe blueberries, pecans and buttermilk – a winning combination!
Give me a berry cake anyway. I am saving these for the June blueberries in our backyard. They all come in at once and one has to bake something! Perfect!
Nothing like a homemade coffee cake for breakfast. That'd start you day off with a smile. 🙂
Mmmmnnn! I must make this in June when blueberry season is in full swing!
I love blueberries! They have been very expensive here lately but once they come down in price I'll keep this recipe in mind–it looks perfect to enjoy for the upcoming summer barbecue season.
I love that you can use fresh or frozen blueberries in this recipe. Thanks for sharing, I can't wait to try!
What a lovely coffee cake that highlights fresh blueberries! I know that you're having a great trip in Peru and have SO ENJOYED your posts and photos on Facebook! Happy travels!
Ciao,
Roz