Crumb Topped Blueberry Cake ...p98

This morning, I awoke with a sweet tooth, you know, the one deprived since finishing off the last of our Christmas baking on New Year's Day....

I perused our "Cooking Up Family History" cookbook for a coffee cake.  I skipped over my favorite,  Wheat Germ Coffee Cake, because I wanted to try something new.  I found Crumb Topped Blueberry Cake under Cakes (as opposed to Breads where breakfast type cakes and breads are found) and decided it might make an excellent breakfast cake!  Super easy to prepare, this evoked "you need to call RE up and tell her how good this is!" from the critic, and led to a second piece for both mom and me!!!

before baking

after baking

Prior to dishing up that second piece, I asked mom if she wanted her coffee reheated, and, upon setting both our cups in the microwave, I discovered a 1/2 stick of butter still waiting to be melted and added to the cake batter!

"SHEESH!!!  That's RE's recipe!  What'd you do???"

What's gotten in to me?  I can't even follow a simple recipe these days that would allow me to accurately comment!  So, in the future I will update you on what differences adding that 1/2 stick of butter made to this cake.  Sans beurre, it was still delicious.....maybe it would make the texture more cake-like, as the texture "sans beurre" was very much like a coffee cake! Yes, it did satisfy my sweet tooth without being overly sweet, and, in this case, a lot less fattening (EUREKA!)

The recipe calls for chopped walnuts, and I just wanted to share my favorite way of chopping walnuts (apart from my Alaskan ULU knife and bowl!) - the handy dandy zip-lock bag way.

Which beckons me to ask you all to share with us YOUR favorite shortcuts.  Just email them to me at GENE-E and give me permission to print.

Hardy Appetit!

CRUMB TOPPED BLUEBERRY CAKE

2 cups flour
2/3 cup sugar
3 T baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
2 eggs
1 cup milk
1/2 cup butter, melted
2 T lemon juice
2 cups frozen or fresh blueberries

In large bowl, mix flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt until well blended.  In measuring cup, combine eggs, milk, butter and lemon juice.  Stir liquid ingredients into dry ingredients.  Turn into buttered 9" x 13" baking dish.  Sprinkle blueberries evenly through batter.  Top with crumb topping that follows.  Bake at 375° for 40-45 min.

Crumb Topping:

2/3 cup sugar
1/2 cup flour
1/2 tsp cinnamon
4 T soft butter
1 cup chopped walnuts

Mix all ingredients until crumbly.