BLUEBERRY COFFEE CAKE

A summer experience that I’d been looking forward to while living in Maine was eating fresh wild blueberries, and I’m ecstatic to report that I was finally able to this week. As I’ve mentioned many times before, I absolutely love blueberries and literally eat them every single day for breakfast, whether it’s peak blueberry season or in the dead of winter. Before moving to Maine, I had always heard how the state boasted the best wild blueberries in America, and apparently is responsible for 99% of the country’s supply. Whether that statistic is accurate or not, the bottom line is that as a lover of blueberries, I’m in good company here in Maine.

Although grocery stores like Trader Joe’s and Whole Foods sell frozen wild blueberries year round, which I’ve tried before in smoothies and such, I knew nothing would compare to the real deal straight from local farms here in Maine. So when I saw on social media that Portland’s farmers market was going to be selling the first wild blueberries of the season, I couldn’t wait to get my hands on a quart of the precious berries. On Wednesday (aka farmers market day), I woke up early like a kid on Christmas morning, got to the market right when it opened, and beelined for the Lost and Found Farm stall, a flower and wild blueberry farm located only 20 miles away from Portland. After paying far more than I ever would for fruit (it was well worth it though), I took my quart of wild blueberries home, gave them a good rinse and ate them like candy. Compared to regular blueberries, the wild ones are smaller and therefore have more flavor and antioxidants packed in each one… they’re amazing. I can now say that I’ve consumed the country’s best wild blueberries.

Of course, before picking up the berries from the farmers market on Wednesday, I already had a recipe picked out that would not only be something new to the blog, but one that would highlight the berries. I ultimately settled on doing a blueberry coffee cake and I'm so, so happy with the results.

Coffee cake is meant to be eaten for breakfast and is best enjoyed with your morning cup of coffee or tea (hence the name). The cake itself isn’t too sweet, which is why it’s acceptable to eat first thing in the morning, but the addition of the crumb/streusel topping not only gives you that addicting crunchiness, but also a healthy dose of sugar and spice. In my crumb topping, I added ground cinnamon as well as ground cardamom, the latter being optional mostly because not everyone has it in their pantry and I don’t want to send anyone out to buy it just for this recipe - cardamom is actually pretty expensive compared to nutmeg or cinnamon. I added it because I’ve been on a cardamom kick ever since I got a cardamom bun at Belleville, one of my favorite bakeries here in Portland. I personally think it makes the coffee cake better, but by all means, you don’t need to add it.

In addition to the streusel topping, coffee cakes also tend to have a layer of streusel found in the middle of the cake. I chose to skip this and focus on making the cake component more blueberry and lemon focused, by adding 2 whole cups of wild blueberries and the zest of 1 lemon. In my opinion, the streusel on top is more than enough needed for the cake overall, and it still will give you the perfect bite each time.

As for the blueberries, I’m going to assume that not everyone will be able to find fresh wild blueberries in their hometown, which is fine! If this is the case for you, the next best thing would be plain old blueberries, which are always great in my opinion, or you could use frozen wild blueberries (do not defrost them, and know that you run the risk of “staining” the batter blue). Personally, I would settle on regular blueberries before buying frozen just since it’s easier and always available at any grocery store. I’m aware that there will come a time when I make this again without wild blueberries, but I know that this recipe will still be delicious.

P.S. I want to dedicate this post to my mom, Tania, since her birthday is on Sunday AND because her love for coffee cake knows no bounds. She was supposed to be visiting me in Maine this weekend, but due to Covid-19, we decided it was best to push the trip back. I miss her like crazy and I’m so bummed that I can’t be with her on her birthday, but we’ll have to celebrate with cake and (many) margaritas in a few months.

Blueberry Coffee Cake

Yields (1) 9-inch springform cake

Recipe adapted from Barbara Bakes

Ingredients

For the crumb topping:

• 1/4 cup plus 1 tbsp. all-purpose flour

• 1/4 cup granulated sugar

• 1/4 cup brown sugar (any kind will work)

• 1 tsp. ground cinnamon

• 1/2 tsp. ground cardamom (optional, but recommended)

• Pinch of salt

• 1/4 cup (2 oz. or 1/2 stick) unsalted butter, cut into cubes (cold or softened works)

For the cake:

• 2 cups all-purpose flour

• 1 1/2 tsp. baking powder

• 1/2 tsp. kosher salt

• 1 cup granulated sugar

• 1 tbsp. lemon zest

• 1/2 cup (4 oz., 1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature

• 2 large eggs, room temperature

• 1 cup milk (whole, 2%, or 1%)

• 2 tsp. vanilla extract

• 2 cups fresh blueberries (for notes on frozen, read above)

Directions

1. Make the crumb topping: In a medium-sized bowl, whisk the flour, sugars, cinnamon, cardamom (if using) and salt together. Add the cubes of butter and, using your fingers or a fork, work the butter into the mixture until there’s a crumbly texture. Set aside.

2. Preheat the oven to 350ºF and grease a 9-inch springform pan with either butter or cooking spray.

3. In a medium-sized bowl, whisk the flour, baking powder and salt together.

4. In the bowl of a stand mixer (or a large bowl if using a hand mixer) whisk the sugar and lemon zest together until fragrant (this helps release the oils in the zest). Transfer the bowl to the stand mixer base fitted with the paddle attachment, add in the butter, and cream together until light and fluffy, 2-3 minutes. Add in the eggs, milk and vanilla extract and mix until somewhat incorporated (the batter will be very liquid-y, which is fine). Scrape down the sides of the bowl.

5. All at once, add the flour mixture to the bowl and mix until no more pockets of flour remains. Using a spatula, gently stir in the blueberries. Transfer the batter to the prepared pan and smooth the top with an offset spatula. Sprinkle the crumb topping mixture all over the top of the cake batter.

6. Bake in the oven for 45-50 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Allow the cake to cool for about 20 minutes, then run a knife around the edges and remove the springform pan attachment. Let the cake cool a bit more before cutting into it, since it’s easier to cut at room temperature. Enjoy!

SIMPLE OLIVE OIL CAKE W/ ROASTED BLUEBERRIES

For the past 10 days, I’ve been beaming with love for a new person in my life: my niece, Imogen. Baby Immy came into this world at 5:06pm on August 12th and ever since that minute, my life has changed. The love that I have for her is something I’ve never felt before and the moment I was able to finally hold her, I basically broke down sobbing - I would do anything for her and anything to keep her safe and happy. She has the longest legs, looks exactly like her daddy and loves going on walks around the neighborhood. Life before Immy was pretty boring.

I’ve been going back and forth to Los Angeles to see Immy and help out my sister and brother-in-law in any way I can. If your friend or relative has had a newborn baby, I have a list of some ways to go about in helping out the new parents. 1) bring over a bag of groceries - ask what they need so they won’t have duplicates but also surprise them with other grocery items that you’d think they’d like (bonus if you bring the mom a bouquet of flowers) 2) do the dishes or a load of laundry, and/or take out the trash - these things tend to add up rather quickly and if you notice that their sink, laundry hamper or trashcan is full, just jump on in and get to work, 3) simply hold/watch the baby - this allows mom and dad a moment to relax and perhaps go take a nap or shower and feel human again. Even if the parents are taking shifts, any moment that their brain can just relax and not be fixated on the baby is probably the most help you can give them, and 4) cook a meal for them or bring over a nourishing dish/snack - the parents won’t have much energy or time to be cooking healthy meals, so bringing them a meal that can easily be reheated at a later time will help tremendously. Besides the groceries that I had brought my sister, I also baked a batch of these granola bars which are packed with protein, fiber and healthy fats, all things that breastfeeding mothers need.

Lastly, and most importantly, just go and hang out with the parents! Chances are, they are really bored from being cooped up at home and would love someone to talk to.

Alright, no more baby talk (for now).

I’ve spoken before on my l0ve for desserts made with olive oil and have even shared a few recipes highlighting it, like my olive oil brownie cookies and olive oil and maple granola. Besides desserts, I’d say that 99% of my meals are cooked with olive oil; I essentially only buy butter for baking and also because Alex enjoys cooking with it from time to time. So whenever I come across a dessert recipe that is made with olive oil, I’m much more intrigued to see what the outcome tastes like. Today’s recipe of a very simple olive oil cake with a hint of lemon is one of these desserts and it quickly became a tried and true recipe of mine.

Besides the amazing rich flavor and moist texture that this cake gets from the addition of olive oil, it is extremely easy to bake and all ingredients can easily be found in your kitchen (I have lemons in my fridge at all times because I drink lemon water every morning). There’s nothing fancy about this cake which is a huge reason as to why I love it. You can serve it with nothing on top (it’s that good) but if you’re wanting to add a little something to make it more beautiful, a sprinkling of powdered sugar or a dollop of whipped cream should do the trick. Or, you can be like me and add a spoonful of saucy roasted blueberries. Not only does this add color to the cake but a little bit of tartness and sweetness. The whole process of making roasted blueberries takes less than 30 minutes (I’m including the time it takes to preheat the oven) and it definitely elevates the cake. If you don’t want to add the roasted blueberries to this cake, you can always save the recipe for another use like adding it to a cheesecake or a stack of waffles.

In the original recipe, the citrus used was actually the zest and juice of an orange, but since I already have an orange-centric cake on my site, I figured I’d go with lemon, especially since lemon and blueberries work so well together (the roasted blueberries also get a squeeze of lemon juice). But if you are partial to orange-flavored cakes, you can definitely swap it in, and maybe do roasted raspberries with a squeeze of orange juice instead! I haven’t tried this, but I don’t see why it wouldn’t work.

Simple Olive Oil Cake

Yields (1) 9-inch cake

Recipe adapted from Maialino Restaurant recipe via Food52

Ingredients

• 1 3/4 cups granulated sugar

• 2 tbsp. lemon zest (about 2 medium lemons)

• 2 cups all-purpose flour

• 1/2 tsp. baking powder

• 1/2 tsp. baking soda

• 1 1/2 tsp. kosher salt

• 1 1/3 cups extra-virgin olive oil

• 1 1/4 milk, whole or 2% works

• 3 large eggs

• 1/2 cup fresh lemon juice (about 2 medium lemons)

Directions

1. Preheat your oven to 350°F. Grease a 9-inch springform pan (in a pinch, you can use a 9-inch cake pan, but it may overflow) with cooking spray, olive oil, or butter.

2. In a medium size bowl, using your hands or a whisk, massage/mix the granulated sugar and lemon zest together until fragrant (this helps release the oils in the zest). Add the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Whisk together and set aside.

3. Whisk the wet ingredients (olive oil, milk, eggs and lemon juice) together in a separate large bowl. To this, add the dry ingredients and whisk until just combined. Pour the batter (it will be very liquid-y) into the prepared springform pan and bake for 60-70 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. The top and sides of the cake will be a deep golden brown color.

4. Allow the cake to cool on a rack for 30 minutes before removing the springform pan piece, then let it cool for another hour or two before you slice in.

Roasted Blueberries

Ingredients

• 2 cups fresh blueberries

• 2 1/2 tsp. granulated sugar

• Squeeze of fresh lemon juice

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 450°F. Place the blueberries either on a parchment-lined rimmed baking sheet or in a deep baking dish. I prefer the latter option because it is easier to collect all the juices post-roasting.

2. Sprinkle the sugar over the berries and roast in the oven for 10-15 minutes, taking the pan out once or twice to move the berries around to ensure even roasting. You want the berries to be in tact shape-wise but a good amount of their juices to be released (see picture above for reference). Once out of the oven, add the squeeze of lemon juice and gently mix the berries. Add a spoonful to each slice of olive oil cake or serve with waffles, pancakes, cheesecake, etc.

BLUEBERRY LEMON MUFFINS

Since this past Sunday, aka Daylight saving time, I’ve been craving summer-y dishes like strawberry ice cream and peach pie. Yes, we’re only in the middle of March, but the moment it stays lighter later and we get to enjoy sunshine for a couple more hours, my mind immediately goes into summer mode. I know that I don’t live in an area where there will be winter-y weather for about 1-2 more months, but after record low temperatures and rainfall in Southern California, I’ve never been more excited for warmer weather.

On top of beautiful weather, we’ve been enjoying wildflower super blooms as well as the annual migration of butterflies from Mexico to the Pacific Northwest (the painted ladies). Walking outside and seeing hundreds upon hundreds of butterflies is quite honestly one of the most beautiful sights and it’s amazing to see how it’s positively affecting everyone’s mood. I sometimes forget how lucky I am to live in such a awe-inspiring area and I’m trying to take full advantage of my surroundings. More hikes are in my future!

So, today I wanted to work with a produce that is best in the summertime, but can actually be utilized all year long. Blueberries. Even though blueberries are at their peak in California from May to July/August, I eat them every single day with my breakfast. Blueberry is the one fruit that I just can’t seem to enjoy for a limited amount of months; I’d rather have a mediocre blueberry than no blueberry at all. When it comes to blueberries in dishes, I’ve always been a major fan of perfectly simple blueberry muffins. The recipe I’m giving you today is that and so much more.

I really wanted to use wild blueberries for this recipe because I find that they’re SO delicious and bursting with flavor, but since it’s still wintertime, the only wild blueberries available are frozen. I attempted to use the frozen wild blueberries that I found at Trader Joe’s but they completely stained my dough - literally, I was left with blue muffins. Although the flavor was still there, I couldn’t accept the color and decided to go with plain fresh blueberries. My advice is using fresh berries is much easier even though berries aren’t at their peak of ripeness at the moment. I promise that the berries that I bought at the grocery store still made the muffins amazing, and just think how much better it’ll turn out when you make these again in the summertime.

Below in the recipe, I give the optional step to make an easy glaze for the muffins. The glaze, which is simply confectioners’ sugar and fresh lemon juice whisked together, is optional because I personally think the muffins are perfect as is, especially since there’s the crunchy topping, thanks to a heavy sprinkling of turbinado sugar. But, I did make a couple of batches with the glaze and the few people I gave them to went crazy over it and thought it was mandatory that I include it in this post. So whether you’re a muffin purist like me or if you fall into the category of “more is more”, you have the option to glaze or not. Glaze half of the batch if you want!

Blueberry Lemon Muffins

Yields 12 standard muffins

Recipe adapted from Smitten Kitchen

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup granulated sugar

• Zest of 1 large lemon

• 5 tbsp. unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled

• 3/4 cup sour cream or yogurt (plain or Greek)

• 1 large egg

• 1 1/2 tsp. baking powder

• 1/4 tsp. baking soda

• 1/4 tsp. salt

• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

• 1 1/4 cups fresh blueberries (see my note above regarding frozen)

• 1 1/2 - 2 tbsp. turbinado sugar
  

  Optional: Lemon Glaze

• 1 1/2 cups confectioners’ sugar

• 3-4 tbsp. fresh lemon juice

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 425°F. Grease a 12-count muffin tin with cooking spray or butter, or line with cupcake wrappers.

2. In a large bowl, using your hands or a whisk, massage/mix the granulated sugar and lemon zest together until fragrant (this helps release the oils in the zest). Add the melted butter, sour cream/yogurt and egg, and whisk until well incorporated. Stir in the baking powder, baking soda and salt.

3. Using a spatula, carefully fold in the flour and blueberries until you can no longer see any dry ingredients. Do not over mix!

4. Using a spoon or an ice cream scoop, fill each muffin cavity 3/4 full with batter. Evenly sprinkle a heaping 1/2 tsp. of turbinado sugar over each muffin.

5. Bake for 5 minutes at 425°F, and then turn the oven down to 350°F and bake for another 18-20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. The blast of initial heat helps the muffins get their height.

6. Allow the muffins to cool in the pan for a couple of minutes before taking them out. Drizzle each muffin with the lemon glaze (optional, recipe below). Muffins are best eaten on the day they are baked, but can be enjoyed for 1-2 days after if covered and left at room temperature.

Lemon Glaze

1. In a small bowl, combine the confectioners’ sugar and the fresh lemon juice with a whisk. Start with 3 tbsp. of fresh lemon juice, and add more only to reach your desired consistency.