Blueberry Coffee Cake

Hello again foodies! I am so excited about this post, for many reasons, but mainly because it is SO delicious! A few days ago I was inspired and on a mission to make blueberry cupcakes, like....really BLUE blueberry cupcakes and frosting. So I set out to Winn Dixie to pick up blueberries and some buttermilk, only to return home and find out that the two pints of berries I purchased (at a hefty price, I might add) were greenish white inside! Being from Maine, where blueberries are the state 'fruit', I had never seen a blueberry that was white inside, and not gushing purple goo. At first I was quite irritated at the fact that they were white and kind of sour but, feeling rude, I did not want to return them either. 

Last night I found a blueberry coffee cake recipe and decided it would still be a tasty way to use up most of the berries, and gave it a try. I combined it with a family coffee cake recipe and it was a success. Now, they say you learn something new everyday, what did I learn? I learned last night, that these ugly white-fleshed berries, magically turn blue and ooze purple once cooked!! It just has to be magic, I'm not kidding, I pulled one berry out of the baked cake and squashed it in a paper towel. Purple berry guts everywhere, no white or green remnants in sight! The moral of the story today is: "Don't doubt the 'blue' in the blueberry. It will make its appearance!" While the berries are still a bit more sour than regular wild blueberries, the sugar-crumb filling in this recipe balances it very nicely. So whether for breakfast, dessert, or a snack; enjoy!



Fun Facts I learned while trying to figure out what these were and what to do with them:

• Maine produces 25% of North America's wild low-bush blueberries
• Other similar wild berries such as huckleberries and bilberries are often called and sold as 'blueberries'
• Blueberries are very healthy, containing tons of vitamins and anthocyanins, which potentially reduce risks of diseases like cancer. Blueberries may also reduce blood sugar and symptoms of depression, and may contain reservatrol (also found in red grapes/wine) which is great for your heart!  

-Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blueberry


Happy summer!


Blueberry Coffee Cake
  
For the cake: 

• 1/2 cup butter, softened
• 1 - 1/3 cup sugar
• 2 eggs, separated
• 1 egg (whole)
• 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
• 1/2 tsp pure lemon extract
• 4 cups all-purpose flour
• 3 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp salt 
• 2 cups buttermilk
• 2 cups blueberries

 For the filling

•  1 cup sugar (I usually use brown sugar for this, this time I used granulated and it worked great. Brown sugar will give your topping/filling more of a crunch though)
• 1/3 cup flour
• 5 tbsp butter melted
• 1 tsp cinnamon (more if you like)
• 1/2 tsp nutmeg

1. Preheat oven to 350. Grease a 9x13 inch pan or Bundt pan with shortening and dust with a little flour. Beat the 2 egg whites until stiff peaks form, set aside. Cream together the butter and sugar. Beat in the 2 egg yolks and the whole egg, one at a time. Mix in vanilla and lemon extracts.

2. Mix together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a bowl. Add dry mixture to the sugar/egg mixture gradually, alternating with the buttermilk, until just combined. Gently fold in the whipped egg whites with a spoon or spatula. Fold in blueberries.

3. Mix together all the ingredients for the filling in a small bowl, until it resembles a moist crumb.

4. For square pan: Pour half of the cake batter into the pan. Top with half of the crumb filling. Spread remaining batter gently over topping. Top with the remaining crumb filling.  For Bundt pan:  Pour half of the cake batter into the pan, evenly around the circle. Top with all crumb filling, spreading it evenly around. Top with remaining cake batter, spreading it evenly around. 

5. Bake in preheated oven for about 40-45 minutes, or until toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean but with a moist crumb, not wet.  (The Bundt pan took just about an hour. To be safe, set it for about 45 minutes and keep checking with a toothpick.) Cool thoroughly in pan. (For Bundt pan, cool completely before trying to remove. Top with a glaze if desired.

Photos by The Chocolate Cookie