Blueberry Crumb Coffee Cake

I finally willed myself to turn my attention to the tub of blueberries sitting in my fridge for over a week already. It’s been a while since I last made blueberry coffee cake so I thought that it should use up most of the blueberries. I’ll figure out what to do with the rest tomorrow. This is a very good recipe and whenever I make this, I always get compliments. I remember a former co-worker who's also a foodie- he would always ask me what I cooked or baked over the weekend; how it turned out; how does it taste if it's something new to him. And when I bring some food to work that he liked, he would right away ask for the recipe and ask his mom to cook it for him. This coffee cake is his favorite and it's so funny watching him eat because he would literally gush over it. So when he decided to go back to school to study another course, I baked a tray for him as my send-off gift. I should send him a picture message of this to tease and torture him a little... ha ha ha. Here's how to make it.

Blueberry Crumb Coffee Cake

Topping:

1/3 cup sifted all-purpose flour

½ cup old fashioned oats

½ cup sugar

1 stick of unsalted butter

1/2 cup chopped walnuts

Cake:

2 cups fresh blueberries -washed and drained

2 cups sifted all-purpose flour

2 tsp double-acting baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 cup butter

1 tsp vanilla extract

3/4 cup sugar

1 egg

1/2 cup milk

zest of a lemon

3 tbsp dry bread crumbs for the pan

Procedure:

Spread the blueberries on paper towel and gently pat to dry.

Adjust rack to the center of the oven. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Butter a 9-inch square or 9-inch round cake pan and coat well with dry bread crumbs. Set aside.

Prepare the topping

Mix flour, brown and white granulated sugar. With a pastry blender cut in the butter until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Toss in the chopped walnuts and old fashioned oats and set aside.

Sift together flour, baking powder and salt.

Place the blueberries in a large bowl.

Sprinkle with about 2 tbsp sifted flour- set aside.

Cake:

Cream the butter. Add in vanilla and sugar and beat for 1 minute.

Add the egg and continue mixing for 1 minute more.

On lowest speed alternately add remaining sifted dry ingredients in three additions and milk in two additions, scraping the bowl with a rubber spatula and beating only until smooth after each addition. Stir in lemon zest.

Spoon the stiff batter over the floured blueberries.

With a rubber spatula, gently fold together until just mixed.

Turn batter into the prepared pan. Spread smoothly. Sprinkle crumb topping evenly over batter then top with chopped walnuts

Bake 45 minutes or until the a toothpick inserted comes out clean.

Serve warm with coffee