Blueberry Coffee Cake

You know when it's a weeknight, but you want something quick and easy and delicious for dessert? Yeah, that's what box mixes were made for, I'm sure, but this blueberry coffee cake is almost as easy as a box mix. 

Okay, let's be real, nothing is as easy a box mix, which involves dumping a box into a bowl, adding some oil and eggs, and sticking it in the oven. But still, this is easy. And you know what?

It's dang delicious.

Can I be honest? This coffee cake was so much better than I was expecting it to be. You take a bite, and at first you're like okay this is coffee cake, I get it. But then you realize, dang, this is actually really good coffee cake. It's dense but not goopy, with just the right amount of blueberries and crumb topping.

The original recipe called for 1 cup blueberries and 1 cup chopped nuts, but I was like nope, 2 cups blueberries and no nuts, please! I think the nuts would actually make the cake a bit drier than with all of the blueberries, which were frozen. That also adds some more water content, so I can't speak to how it turns out with fresh blueberries...yet. I'm not sure when I'd try with fresh as I tend to have frozen ones on hand a lot more, but if any of you try it, you'll have to let me know!

I bet this would also be nice with blackberries, marionberries, or boysenberries as well. Okay apparently all of those are just a version of the blackberry. Who knew! But yeah I would say raspberries might work, but strawberries probably not, as they are just too watery in comparison. A mix of blueberries, raspberries and some type of blackberry might also be nice. This is actually similar to my Summer Berry Bundt Cake, but easier and perfect for a weeknight.

Pretty sure you won't regret making this one.

Blueberry Coffee Cake
Author: Jen @ Fresh From The…
Servings: 9 Pieces
Prep time: 00:15
Cook time: 00:40

Total time: 00:55

A lovely coffee cake appropriate for breakfast or dessert, chock full of blueberries.

Ingredients:

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
• 1 large egg
• 1/2 cup milk
• 2 cups blueberries, fresh or frozen
For the Streusel Topping:

• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup cold unsalted butter

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 375°F.
2. Whisk flour, baking powder, and salt in a small bowl. Set that aside while you beat together the sugar and butter until fluffy.
3. Add in the egg and milk and beat until mixed well. Stir in the dry ingredients. Fold in the blueberries. Spread into a 9 inch square pan (you can spray it if it usually gets sticky for you, but I never do).
4. For the topping, combine the sugar and flour together, then cut in the butter until it's nice and crumbly. Lay that over the top of the mixture.
5. Bake until a tester inserted in the center comes out clean, about 35-40 minutes. Your time will vary based on whether you used fresh or frozen blueberries (the frozen will take a bit longer). Cool on a wire rack.

Recipe adapted from Taste of Home

Coffee Cake Muffins

Have I ever discussed my distaste for grocery shopping? I think perhaps this is inherited, because my mom hates it too. Though, I do think maybe if the grocery stores I liked to go to weren't so damn crowded all the time, it wouldn't be quite so terrible.

Alas. Crowded. And the types of crowds that make me crazy, wherein I have to wait in some long dang line to check out while carrying a super heavy basket, because I always seem to go for the basket.

Now you know my grocery shopping woes, something I'm sure you're just VERY HAPPY about, because it totally impacts your life! The thing is, when I get in this state, and I want something for breakfast, instead of going out to eat or going to the store to get something, I often scrounge around the kitchen and the internet to see what I can make instead.

Lo, muffins! Coffee cake muffins that are, omg, delicious! They're yum. Super yum, even.

It's interesting that coffee cake never really does have coffee in it. But thank you muffin gods that it doesn't, because yuck. Yeah, I said it. Coffee is yuck! Boom goes the dynamite!

Coffee Cake Muffins

Ingredients

• FOR THE MUFFINS:
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 cup sour cream
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 large eggs
• FOR THE STREUSEL TOPPING:
• 1 cup packed brown sugar
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, chilled, cut into small pieces

Cooking Directions

1. First, prepare your topping in a medium bowl. Stir together the dry ingredients, then with a pastry blender or some knives, cut in the butter until it's large crumbs. Refrigerate until ready to use.
2. Next, preheat your oven to 350F. Prepare your muffins - butter and flour your muffin tins. In a small bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and baking soda. Set aside.
3. Using your electric mixer on medium speed, beat together softened butter, sour cream, sugar, and vanilla until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs on eat a time until well combined. With the mixer on low, beat flour mixture into the butter mixture.
4. If you're using jumbo muffin tins, divide your batter in half among your prepared cups. Top with half the streusel mixture, then the remaining batter, and top with the rest of the streusel. If you're using smaller ones, just put the streusel on top to make it easier on yourself.
5. Bake 25 to 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center of a muffin comes out clean (you may want to reduce this baking time a bit if you're not making jumbo muffins). Cool in the pan for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

(Recipe via Martha Stewart)

In Photos:

Cut together your streusel ingredients: brown sugar, flour, salt, cinnamon, butter. Stick that in the fridge for now.

While you preheat your oven to 350F, beat together your butter, sugar, sour cream and vanilla.

Beat in your eggs one at a time.

Then add in your flour mixture, which you should've whisked together in a separate bowl earlier if you're really following directions. Or you can be like me and just add them in here.

Take half of the batter and plop those into your buttered and floured jumbo muffin tin.

Then spoon in half of your streusel topping.

Then put the rest of your batter on top. I got my fingers wet and pressed down to get them flat. The water helps it not stick to you.

Then put on the rest of your streusel! Stick that in your oven for 25-30 minutes.

They'll come out like this. Make sure when you stick in a tester it comes out clean so they're cooked through. Let those sit in the tins for 5 minutes.

Then put them on a wire rack to cool completely. These are LARGE.

We tried making these in a smaller variety, regular-sized, and while they're good, they're not as good as this jumbo size. Go jumbo if you can!

Then, get yourself a plate, and dig in. You'll want a plate. These are big and kinda crumbly.

Here you can see the middle layer of streusel as well. Mmm mmm mmmmmmm....