Blueberry Crumb Cake - My Secret Recipe

It is that time again, at least for one third of our group, The Secret Recipe Club.  I am in the first group and our esteemed leader is Amanda from Amanda's Cookin'.  I am really excited that we now have three times a month to check out these fun recipes.  Please look again for the next two Mondays for more secret recipes.

My secret recipe partner, Michele from Makin' Cakin' Weekends, happened to be one of the first people I met, when I started blogging.  She has changed the name of her blog since the and I didn't realize who she was, until I saw Paula Deen, all over her blog.  She had  organized the Paula Deen group that I had joined, almost three years ago.  Each week, we cooked glorious recipes from Paula.

I was excited to have someone I know as my partner for this endeavor.  I know how beautifully Michele bakes so I had a gut feeling, I was going to select something baked and I did.  I am sure Michele doesn't know how much she helped me, as a new blogger, when we met.  I knew nothing and her answers to naive questions made a big difference to me.

Now, we are both in the Have The Cake baking group.  Come on over and join us there.

I never know how to pick a recipe.  This time, I saw many goodies, I wanted  to make but when I came across a Dorie recipe, I knew that was the one, I would make.  Dorie can do no wrong, in my eyes.  Dorie and Michele are a winning combination.  So, Blueberry Crumb Cake, it is and with the blueberry season in its glory, fresh berries were easy to get.

If you don't have this book, I recommend you get it.  This seems to have everything in it and the recipes work.

I made the cake gluten-free so I made some changes in the original recipe.

Blueberry Crumb Cake
(Source: Baking: From My Home to Yours by Dorie Greenspan, pages 192-193)  (adapted)

Yield: 8 servings

For the Crumbs:
5 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
¼ cup sugar
1/3 cup (packed) light brown sugar
1/3 cup all-purpose flour (GF brown rice flour mixture)
¼ teaspoon salt
½ cup chopped walnuts

For the Cake:
1 pint (2 cups) blueberries
2 cups plus 2 teaspoons gluten free flour  mixture
2 teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon  nutmeg
2/3 cup sugar
Grated zest of ½ lemon or ¼ orange
¾ stick (6 tablespoons) margarine, at room temperature
2 large eggs, at room temperature
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
½ cup buttermilk

Getting Ready: Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter an 8-inch square pan  and put it on a baking sheet.

To Make the Crumbs: Put all the ingredients except the nuts in a food processor and pulse just until the mixture forms clumps and curds and holds together when pressed. Scrape the topping into a bowl, stir in the nuts and press a piece of plastic against the surface. Refrigerate until needed. (Covered well, the crumb mix can be refrigerated for up to 3 days.)

To Make the Cake: Using your fingertips, toss the blueberries and 2 teaspoons of the flour together in a small bowl just to coat the berries; set aside. Whisk together the remaining 2 cups flour, the baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg.

Working in the bowl of a stand mixer or in another large bowl, rub the sugar and zest together with your fingertips until the sugar is moist and aromatic. Add the margarine and, with the paddle or whisk attachment, or with a hand mixer, beat the sugar with the margarine at medium speed until light, about 3 minutes. Add the eggs one by one, beating for about 1 minute after each addition, then beat in the vanilla extract. Don't be concerned if the batter looks curdled - it will soon
smooth out. Reduce the mixer speed to low and add the flour mixture and the buttermilk alternately, the flour in 3 parts and the buttermilk in 2 (begin and end with the dry ingredients).

You will have a thick, creamy batter. With a rubber spatula, gently stir in the berries.  Scrape the batter into the buttered pan and smooth the top gently with the spatula. Pull the crumb mix from the refrigerator and, with your fingertips, break it into pieces. There's no need to try to get even pieces - these are crumbs they're supposed to be lumpy and bumpy and every shape and size. Scatter the crumbs over the batter, pressing them down ever so slightly.

Bake for 55 to 65 minutes, or until the crumbs are golden and a thin knife inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Transfer the cake to a rack and cool just until it is warm or until it reaches room temperature.

This was a wonderful coffee cake, rich with blueberries and delicious still warm as well as at room temperature.

Thanks to Dorie and Michele.

I can't wait until tomorrow to check other the other Secret Recipe Bloggers.

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