blueberry almond coffee cake

blueberry almond coffee cake

• 9.20.2016

I recently cleaned out my freezer and truly discovered what was hiding in the depths of those drawers. The answer? Blueberries and perhaps some real sad soup recipes that I have no intention of ever eating. Also, pounds of butter and not nearly enough frozen waffles. I love frozen waffles.

This past weekend we had a Sunday morning family breakfast. It was a bit of a catch all occasion for the last 3 family events - but mostly perhaps for my dad's birthday. My dad is someone who probably won't actually say he hates fruits and vegetables - unlike my aunt who is vocal. He manages to conveniently avoid them in nearly all my dishes.

But, the man loves breakfast foods and loves blueberry muffins. Thus the creation for this slightly healthier blueberry coffee cake. I can't say for sure that it is healthier - but that trademark coffee cake sugar crumble is absent and that must count for something.

A few notes:

- BERRIES // I used regular blueberries over wild blueberries for this recipe. The reason? I was out of wild ones. But in this case, I think you can get away with regular sized berries because the berries aren't overpowering the serving size like they would in a scone or donut.

- PAN SIZE // I used a bundt pan for no good reason but it happened to work out. The sour cream batter is pretty dense and doesn't rest well in a bundt pan. I'd recommend just about anything else (loaf pan, circle pan, etc)

I took some beautiful pictures of this cake before we ate it - but the settings were all wrong on my camera and I didn't realize it until after we ate all the cake. Boo. If I was a better editor, I could make it work. But I'm not. So, we have iPhone photos and screengrabs from my sister's Snapchat.

Here's how it goes.

1. Pre heat your oven to 350 degrees and spray down your chosen pan or pans.
2. Beat the butter and sugar together until fluffy. Then, add the egg and the almond extract and beat well.
3. Sift the remaining ingredients (not blueberries) and alternate them with the sour cream, and mix until everything is well incorporated. I'll be honest and say I didn't sift and I didn't care - but if you can sift, you should. It's always better.
4. Add in the blueberries and mix with a spatula (not the mixer). 
5. Evenly add the batter to the pan. Do your best to even it out so the top won't be too lumpy.
6. Bake for between 25-35 minutes. About 25 for an 8-inch pan and 35 for a bundt pan.
7. After the cakes have cooled, combine the glaze ingredients and whisk together until smooth.
8. Drizzle the glaze across the cake, sprinkle with slivered almonds and let it dry.

Shopping List (based on this original recipe)

1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened

1 cup brown sugar, packed

1 egg

1 tsp. almond extract

2 cups all purpose flour

1 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. baking powder

1/4 tsp. salt

1 cup sour cream

1 1/2 cups fresh blueberries

1/2 cup sliced almonds

For the Glaze:

1 cup confectioner's sugar

1/2 tsp. almond extract

1 1/2 tbsp. milk