Blueberry Buttermilk Coffee Cake

I am finally putting those blueberries we picked last month to good use. I had stuck them in the freezer in anticipation of making this recipe, and they were just as good as they were when first picked. I've been on vacation for the past week with family, and this coffee cake was the perfect thing to make and bring along for breakfast. It was so delicious that every crumb got eaten. To be honest, I was kind of sad when it was gone.

The buttermilk makes it heavy with calories, but it's worth it for that melt-in-your-mouth feeling. And that streusel topping in all of its buttery, sugary goodness... Mmmmm. This cake was really easy to transport since it's baked in a 13x9 pan. It was an easy dish to make and so worth the time! My husband is already asking for more!




Blueberry Buttermilk Coffee Cake
(from Good Housekeeping magazine)

Streusel Topping:
2/3 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
4 Tbsp. cold butter or margarine, cut up

Coffee Cake:
2 and 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 and 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1 and 1/4 cups granulated sugar
10 Tbsp. butter or margarine (1 and 1/4 sticks), softened
2 large eggs
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 and 1/4 cups buttermilk
1 pint blueberries (about 2 and 1/2 cups)

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease 13" by 9" metal baking pan; dust with flour.

2. Prepare streusel topping: In medium bowl, combine brown sugar, flour and butter. With fingertips, work in butter until mixture is crumbly. Refrigerate streusel while preparing cake.

3. Prepare coffee cake: On waxed paper, combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. In large bowl, with mixer at low speed, beat sugar with butter until blended. Increase speed to medium-high; beat until creamy, about 2 minutes, frequently scraping bowl with rubber spatula. Reduce speed to low; add eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in vanilla.

4. At low speed, beat in flour mixture alternately with buttermilk, beginning and ending with flour mixture. Beat just until batter is smooth, occasionally scraping bowl with rubber spatula. With spatula, fold in all but 1/2 cup blueberries.

5. Spoon batter into prepared pan; spread evenly. Sprinkle batter with reserved blueberries. With fingers, press streusel into clumps; sprinkle evenly over batter. Bake coffee cake 35 to 40 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool cake in pan on wire rack 1 hour to serve warm, or cool completely to serve later.

Makes 16 servings.