Grandma’s Blueberry Coffee Cake Recipe

I love blueberries. And coffee. So before summer ended (and it’s rapidly coming to a close!), I thought I’d share one of my favorite all-time recipes for Blueberry Coffee Cake. Even if you don’t love blueberries (like my husband), I promise you’ll still love this coffee cake (like my husband). From what I know, this is my grandma’s recipe and I’m sure it came from another source, but no idea where.

I remember the first time she taught me how to make it and we creamed the butter and sugar by hand. My mom gently whispered to me (after we were done) that you can also cream butter and sugar with an electric mixer and I didn’t need to do it again by hand. Lifesaver! And the difference between a few generations …

While this dish is perfect with morning coffee, it’s just as delightful as an after-dinner snack with a glass of milk (or more likely for me, a glass of red wine). And if you love blueberries as much as I do, while this is best with fresh blueberries, you can also use some of those blueberries that are stashed in the freezer for smoothies that don’t always get made (or is that just me who hoards blueberries in her freezer?)

What you’ll need:
1 stick (1/2 C) of butter cut in half (slightly softened, but not too soft or the cake will be too crumbly, which was my mistake the last time I made this)
1 1/4 C. of sugar
2 1/3 C of all-purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 egg
1/2 C milk (I make mine with almond milk, but I’ve used skim before too)
2 C blueberries
1/2 tsp cinnamon

Instructions:

• Preheat oven to 375
• Lightly grease a 9×9 or 8×8 pan. Note: the official recipe calls for a 9×9 pan. I typically cook this in an 8×8 pan and cook it about 10-15 longer. The 9×9 version will be flatter on top, while the 8×8 has a lot of crunch. It’s great in both!
• In a large mixing bowl, cream together 3/4 C of sugar and 1/4 C (half a stick) of butter
• Once mixed, add 1 egg and gradually add the 2 C of flour, mixing on a low speed as you go
• Add 2 tsp. baking powder, salt and 1/2 C of milk, mixing while you go. The batter will be fairly thick and you may need to use a knife to get some of the dough off the mixer
• Once batter is fully mixed, fold in (using a rubber spatula) the two cups of blueberries
• Pour into pan

Topping:

• In a smaller bowl, add remaining 1/3 C flour, 1/2 C sugar and 1/2 tsp cinnamon; mix
• Melt remaining 1/4 C (half stick) of butter in a microwave-safe dish and pour into flour, sugar & cinnamon mixture
• The topping will be a medium consistency
• Spoon the topping over the previously poured batter and gently spread to cover as much of the top as possible (be careful not to mix into the batter – the back of a spoon or rubber spatula usually works best)

Bake at 375 F for 35-45 minutes, depending on oven and size of pan.  No matter what size dish, set the timer to 30 min. and check on it – to make sure it’s done, the top should be a golden, crunchy brown  and a fork or toothpick should come out clean when poked into the middle. You can cover the top with foil if it starts to burn and the cake part isn’t done yet.

 

Let it cool and enjoy!