GranNini's Blueberry Coffee Cake

GranNini's Blueberry Coffee Cake

(a variation on a theme)

Topping:

2 Tablespoons flour

1 cup firmly packed light brown sugar

1 teaspoons ground cinnamon

2 Tablespoons unsalted butter, melted 

Cake:

2 2/3 cups flour

1 1/4 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup unsalted butter, softened (2 sticks)

1 cup plus 2 Tablespoons granulated sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla

4 eggs

1 1/4 cups sour cream

1 cup blueberries, thawed or fresh, 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Grease and lightly flour a 9-by-13- inch baking pan.

To make topping: In a bowl, whisk together the flour, brown sugar, and cinnamon until blended.  Stir in the butter until the topping is crumbly.  

To make cake: In a bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt until well-blended;  set aside.

In a stand mixer set on medium speed, beat the butter and sugar until creamy.  Beat in the vanilla and the eggs, one at a time, until well-blended, scraping down the sides and bottom of the bowl as necessary.  Add flour mixture and sour cream alternately to sugar mixture, beginning and ending with flour mixture.  Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl.  The batter should be smooth and blended.  

Spread half of the batter into the prepared baking pan.  Drop several dollops of the topping onto the batter.  Sprinkle 1/2 the blueberries onto the surface of the batter.  Then, dollop the remaining batter into large dollops across the top, and spread the batter smoothly across the surface.  Scatter the remaining 1/2 of the blueberries on top.   Feel free to gently press the blueberries into the dough.  Don't press too hard.  You want the blueberries to stay on the top.  The berries will naturally sink in a little bit.  I don't care for the blueberries to be sitting on the top, I prefer the berries to be poked in about 1/2 way up the berry.  But that's just my preference. Finally, sprinkle the reserved topping over the batter.  Bake until the cake has risen and browned and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, 40-45 minutes.  Let the cake cool in the pan for at least 15 minutes.  Cut into 12 pieces and serve.

For those of you who like pictures, here you go!

Spread the batter into the prepared pan.

Put on a few dollops of the topping into clumps.

Sprinkle on 1/2 of the blueberries.  They will naturally sink a little bit. That's groovy.

Dollop on the remaining batter into big dollops.

Smooth the batter as best as you can.  Some of the blueberries may burst and change the color of your batter.  And some of the topping may mix in.  That's all okay.

*At this point, sprinkle on the remaining blueberries.  Feel free to press them in lightly into the batter, but don't press too far down.  The goal is to have 1/2 the berries sink toward the bottom, and this half of the berries to stay toward the top, so that you have an even distribution of berries throughout your coffee cake.

Sprinkle on the topping.  Pop it in the oven.

Mmmmmm, boy, that smells great!!!

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