Violet, You're Turning Violet!

     I know what you're thinking, but against popular opinion, I haven't been incarcerated for the last three weeks. Instead, I went camping, did some business in Boston, and log-rolled around town. I have to say, even with all of that excitement, I was still pretty blue. That is, until the second harvest of the blueberry bush came in! Even though all the other fruit-bearing greenery around the house had gone to Glory, the blueberry bush was exploding with life. By that, I mean the netting wrapped around it to keep it safe from the evil birds was actually torn to shreds, leading me to believe Mrs. Groundhog had a bone to pick. Silly critters. Since this harvest produced more berries with a sweeter taste, I decided to try my hand at a coffee cake. These are the results.

Blueberry Coffee Cake

You will need two cups (1 pint) of blueberries for this recipe. Give em a wash to de-funk and remove any leftover twigs or leaves.

I made the topping first and set it aside. Combine the flour,sugar, brown sugar, butter, and salt until crumbs form. I omitted the cinnamon. I'll explain later.

The recipe said to use softened butter but I have to politely disagree. The topping would have been better with cold butter, resulting in a tighter crumb.

With the topping set aside, it's time to make ze cake. Cream the butter and the sugar together. To this, I added a teaspoon of lemon/orange zest. For this reason, I left out the cinnamon from the original recipe. Ever since I was a wee thing, I haven't liked the combination of cinnamon and citrus. You be true to your heart and do you. Next, add the egg, milk, and salt. I added a teaspoon of vanilla as well. When everything is well mixed, add the pre-sifted flour and baking powder and mix just to combine. Fold in your blue gems. 

Pour the thick batter into a greased and floured baking dish and add the crumb topping, making sure to cover every inch of the cake. Don't slack on the corners. They're my favorite and I'm watching you. 

After baking for some time, it looks like this. Does it not more so resemble a buckle? I digress. 

A nomnomnom, this cake was served warm with some cream and love. None was left over for breakfast consumption. Animals. 

********PSA********

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Recipe

(Adapted from the blog Hapatite)

350 F 50 minutes

Batter:

3/4 c sugar

1/4 butter (softened)

1 egg

1/2 milk

2 c flour (pre-sifted)

2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1 pint blueberries

1 tsp lemon/orange zest

Crumb:

1/4 c sugar

1/4 c brown sugar

1/4 butter (cold)

1/3 flour