Cake Batter & Crumbs

Blueberry Streusel Cake

Has anyone ever ordered spices from the Penzeys company in Wisconsin? I discovered them about a year ago and quickly signed up for a catalog off of their website. I loved the catalog because it not only listed virtually every spice imaginable, but it also gave descriptions on what exactly the spice was like, where it's native to, and how to use it... an excellent reference for those of us who are still learning. In reading, I discovered that they actually import a lot of their spices from the areas of the world where they're native and most naturally flavorful.

So, the catalog got me hooked and actually over time I replaced nearly all of the spices I was currently using with different ones from Penzeys. At only a few dollars each, it didn't take too long to build up a really nice spice collection. Plus, they usually give you a free sample with each order.

Anyway, I don't own stock in Penzeys or anything, I'm just sharing information on some of great products that I've discovered and the Penzys catalog is where I found this recipe for Blueberry Streusel Cake.

Last night Shannon, my husband, volunteered to cook dinner, so I took the opportunity to make this cake that I had planned to earlier in the week, but didn't get to it. They suggested baking the cake in 9x9" square pan or 9" glass pie plate, but warned that the glass plate might be difficult to serve from. I had a casserole dish that was shaped like a glass pie plate and decided to use that. It worked really well and gave the cake room to expand without overflowing.


The cake only called for a 1/2 cup blueberries, which I thought was a little on the light side, but in the end it was a nice balance because you can taste the vanilla and cinnamon flavors in the cake instead having a complete blueberry flavor. The recipe alternates layers of cake batter and streusel and then finishes the top with a layer of streusel which turns crispy in the oven and reminds me of a giant blueberry muffin. YUM!



Blueberry Streusel Cake
serves 8-10

1/3 cup butter, room temperature
1 cup granulated white sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 cup sour cream
2 tbl milk
1 3/4 cup flour, divided
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup firm fresh blueberries

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cream butter with sugar at medium to high speed with a mixer until fluffy. Break the eggs into a small bowl and whisk briefly, then add to the butter/sugar; mix with vanilla and cinnamon; beat to combine. Rinse blueberries, toss with 1/4 cup flour, and set aside. Sift remaining flour with baking powder and salt. Blend sour cream and milk into the batter, alternating with the flour mixture. Beat on low speed, scraping down the sides of the bowl every so often until the batter is nice and smooth.

Fold in the blueberries. Grease a 9x9" square glass pan or a 9" glass pie pan. The pie pan looks great, but it is a bit over-filled, making it slightly harder to cut and serve the pieces--if in doubt, go with the square pan.  Add half the batter, sprinkle with a layer of streusel, and then smooth the rest of the batter over the top. Sprinkle with the remaining streusel topping. Place the cake in the center of the middle rack, and bake until bubbly brown, 40-45 minutes. Remove from the oven, let cool before serving. It will still be a bit warm after an hour and should be relatively easy to slice at that point.

Streusel Topping
2 tbl butter, room temperature
1/3 cup brown sugar
2 tbl flour
1 tsp cinnamon

Place all ingredients in a small bowl. Rub gently through your fingers until combined and crumbly.

Huckleberry Cupcakes with Sweet Cream

I was flipping through my mom's copy of Martha Stewart Living magazine a few weeks ago and came across this recipe. The July issue had a lot of really good recipes for summertime desserts, I hounded my mom to get me a copy of a couple of the recipes.


The recipe calls for huckleberries, but notes that you can substitute blueberries. I haven't ever seen huckleberries at our grocery stores here, and since blueberries are in season now and the prices are lower, I used them instead.

Without the cream topping, these cupcakes are really like sweet blueberry/vanilla muffins. The whipped cream topping is just subtly sweet and a nice accompaniment to the cupcake. I tend to like things extra sweet, and I was tempted to add a little extra powdered sugar to make it a really sweet cream. I'm glad I didn't though because the whipped topping doesn't overpower or take away from the cake flavors this way.



These cupcakes will keep for a few days in the refrigerator. Since they have the whipped cream topping, they must be refrigerated. I'd let the cupcakes come to room temperature  before eating though, so the cake is softer.

Thanks, mom for getting me a copy of this recipe... even after I forgot it at your house!


Martha Stewart's Huckleberry Cupcakes with Sweet Cream

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups cake flour (not self-rising)
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 sticks (16 tablespoons) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 3/4 cups granulated sugar
4 large eggs, room temperature
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1 1/4 cups whole milk, room temperature
2 cups huckleberries, plus more for garnish (substituted blueberries)
2 cups cold heavy cream
3 tablespoons confectioners' sugar, plus more for dusting

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line 24 standard muffin tins with paper liners. Sift together flours, baking powder, and salt.

Beat butter and sugar with a mixer on medium speed until pale and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Beat in eggs, one at a time, and vanilla. Reduce speed to low, and add the flour mixture in 3 additions, alternating with the milk, beginning and ending with the flour mixture; beat until combined after each addition. Fold in berries by hand.

Divide batter among cups. Bake until golden brown, around 25 minutes. Let cool.

Beat cream and confectioners' sugar until firm peaks form. Dollop cupcakes with whipped cream, garnish with berries and dust with confectioners' sugar.