cake

Did you know that July is National Blueberry Month?  Let’s make a cake and celebrate!
Last week, I was flipping through an old book and 2 things fell out onto my lap: this recipe and an old black & white photo from a birthday party.

That’s the story of my life.  I’m usually a fairly organized person,  but little scraps of paper plague my existence.  I find them everywhere.  I mean, literally everywhere.  I scribble down notes or ideas and shove them into a bag or toss them onto the dining room table or kitchen counter.   I’m staring at a handful of them as I type this…
I’ve given this recipe a permanent home now, which makes me quite pleased because this cake happens to be one of my very favorite things in all the world.   In my humble opinion, crumb cakes are absolutely one of the recipes that should be in everyone’s back pocket.  A good crumb cake is a crowd pleaser. Have you ever met someone that didn’t like crumb cake?  Me either.  
It almost guarantees you’ll get another invite if you bring it to someone’s house.  Ask my friends, I’ve taken it a few times  😉
This cake has a Very Generous crumb topping, which is mandatory in my book.  The cake itself is surprisingly light, but sturdy enough to support a hefty amount of fresh blueberries.   Get them while they are in season, because those plump little blueberries are best in the summer months!

Blueberry Crumb Cake

2016-07-07 13:59:51

Serves 9

A fruit-packed cake topped with a buttery, crunchy crumb

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Prep Time

15 min

Cook Time

45 min

Total Time

1 hr

Prep Time

15 min

Cook Time

45 min

Total Time

1 hr

For the Cake

1. 1 1/2 cups AP flour + 1 tsp for blueberries
2. 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
3. 1/2 tsp baking soda
4. 1/2 tsp salt
5. 1 tsp vanilla (preferably vanilla bean paste)
6. 1/2 stick unsalted butter (4TB), softened
7. 2/3 cup sugar
8. 1 large egg
9. 1/3 cup buttermilk (room temperature)
10. 2 cups blueberries, washed and patted dry

For the Crumb Topping

1. 1 cup AP flour
2. 1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
3. 1 tsp salt
4. 1 stick (1/2 cup) cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces

Make the Crumb Topping

1. In a medium bowl- mix flour, sugar and salt. Using your fingers, work the butter into the mixture until you have large crumbs. Do not make them too small! Otherwise, the topping will not be crunchy, yummy chunks of buttery goodness on top of your cake... It will melt into the cake.
2. Chill until you are ready to sprinkle on the cake.

Make the Cake

1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
2. Butter and flour a 9x9 baking dish.
3. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. In a separate medium bowl, cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Add the egg and beat until combined.
4. Add 1/3 of the flour mixture, beat until just combined. Add 1/2 of the buttermilk, beat until combined. Repeat once more, ending with the last 1/3 of the flour mixture.
5. In a small bowl, toss blueberries with the teaspoon of flour and gently fold into the batter.
6. Batter is thick, so being gentle is important! Spoon batter into the baking dish and use an offset spatula if necessary to level the top.
7. Sprinkle the crumb topping evenly over the entire cake and bake for 45 minutes or until tester comes out clean.
8. Cool completely before slicing!

Notes

1. This is a versatile cake, the blueberries can be swapped out for other berries (like blackberries!) or even stone fruits like cherries or peaches.
2. It also freezes beautifully for those days when you need just a little something.

By Cheryl Bennett

Pook's Pantry https://www.pookspantry.com/

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