It's Spring! That means wonderful Spring fruits and vegetables. Tish Boyle's The Cake Book is The Cake Slice Baker's extra bake book this month and I found this Sour Cream-Blueberry Crumb Cake just in time to use the first blueberries of the season. Here you can see that incredible butter crumb topping:
I made a few changes, mainly because I wanted to use all my blueberries (about 1 ¼ cups of fairly small berries instead of the 1 cup called for). Also, I only had ¾ cup of sour cream (instead of the 1 C called for), so used ¼ cup of buttermilk to finish off the cup.
Adding ½ teaspoon of almond extract just sounded right (and it was) and I added another tablespoon of sugar (which is needed). So there. Now you know what the original recipe should be, but I recommend making it with the changes!
This is a great crumb cake. I don't know if it's the buttermilk I added or the fact it was made in an 8-inch pan instead of a 9-inch pan, but the texture was ultra-moist and fairly dense - almost, but not quite as dense, as a bread pudding.
I guess I was expecting a coffee cake texture, but this was very different. The crumb topping was wonderful and added the needed sweetness and crunch. I can't wait to have this tomorrow morning with coffee!
If you want a really good crumb cake and something to do with those Spring blueberries, try this Sour Cream-Blueberry Crumb Cake. I think it would be also be good with chopped fresh cherries (coming soon in a grocery store near you...) or raspberries. Be creative - add chopped pecans to the topping (wow, wild and crazy). You'll enjoy this cake.
Sour Cream-Blueberry Crumb Cake
Dense and moist, slightly sweet cake with a crunchy cinnamon/brown sugar/butter crumb topping.
Ingredients
- Crumb Topping:
- 1 C all-purpose flour
- ¼ C granulated sugar
- ⅓ C firmly packed brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
- 7 tablespoon melted butter
- The Cake:
- 1 ½ C all-purpose flour
- 1 ¼ teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 to 1 ¼ C fresh blueberries
- ¾ C sour cream
- ¼ C buttermilk
- 1 ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon almond extract
- 10 tablespoon butter, softened
- 1 C plus 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs
Instructions
- For the topping: In a medium bowl, stir together the flour, sugars, cinnamon, and salt. Add the melted butter and stir until the butter is completely absorbed and the dry ingredients are moistened. Set aside.
- For the cake: Preheat the oven to 350°. Spray the bottom and sides of an 8" or 9" square baking pan (take note that baking time will be longer with 8" pan). Line with a 12-13" piece of parchment paper, letting it lap over two sides 1 to 2" so you can lift it out after cooled. Spray the parchment paper with cooking spray.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt until well blended. Set aside.
- Put the washed and dried blueberries into a small bowl and spoon one tablespoon of the flour mixture over them. Toss to coat (this will prevent blueberries from sinking to the bottom of the cake).
- Whisk the sour cream, buttermilk, and vanilla and almond extracts together in a bowl.
- In a stand mixer, beat the softened butter and sugar granulated together until light and fluffy (about 3-4 minutes). Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each egg, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.
- Turn the mixer to low and add one-third of the flour mixture, then one-half of the sour cream mixture. Repeat with another third of flour and the rest of the sour cream mixture, then end with the last third of the flour. Mix until just blended, then fold in the blueberries. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and top evenly with the crumb mixture.
- Bake the cake until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, about 45 minutes for a 9-inch pan, and 55 minutes for an 8-inch pan. Cool in the pan on a rack until completely cooled, then lift out the cake onto a cake plate or stand.
Notes
Tips and Stuff:
This recipe takes lots o' bowls, so make sure you have enough counter space!
Don't over mix the batter to keep the cake tender.
Start checking the baking cake at 35 minutes. My 8-inch pan took exactly 55 minutes.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 12 Serving Size: 1 servingAmount Per Serving: Calories: 329Total Fat: 20gSaturated Fat: 12gTrans Fat: 1gUnsaturated Fat: 6gCholesterol: 82mgSodium: 257mgCarbohydrates: 33gFiber: 1gSugar: 12gProtein: 5g
Nutrition Values are Approximate
Wonderful recipe for blueberry season. That dense center is so appealing, too. Contrasts with the crumb topping. You are so creative Susan!
Thanks Elle - you're so sweet. I'm really enjoying it for breakfast with coffee! It seems to get better every day.