Coffee cake is a popular choice for breakfast. Given its name, you might wonder if it has coffee in it or if the taste resembles coffee. This cake type is actually named as is because it's often enjoyed with a cup of coffee. It's on the sweet side, but isn't so sweet that it becomes unappealing as a breakfast item.
Some people may enjoy a heavy, sweet breakfast, but many others find that too much sugar in the morning weighs heavy on their stomach. That's why coffee cake is a great compromise. It's sweet enough to please the sugar-lovers in your family, but still subtle enough for those who want something more appropriate for that time of day.
This particular recipe adds some crunch with its pecan streusel topping. It also uses blueberries for added flavor. Blueberry is one of the most popular flavors of breakfast food; it's used in waffles, pancakes, muffins, and more. So, of course, we had to make a coffee cake recipe that uses blueberries!
This recipe may seem like a lot of effort to make, but once you get into it you'll find it's easier than you initially expected. With a little time and effort, you'll soon have a delightful treat to offer your family for breakfast. This is a great way to change things up from eggs and toast!
Blueberry Crunch Coffee Ring
Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/3 cup butter, firm
1 cup blueberries
1 egg
1/2 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
Powdered sugar
Pecan Streusel Topping:
1/2 cup pecans, finely chopped
1/2 cup brown sugar, firmly packed
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
2 tablespoons butter
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F
Mix the finely-chopped pecans, brown sugar, flour, and cinnamon with the melted butter.
Pat half of the streusel mixture into a greased, floured 9-inch tube pan with a removable bottom; set aside.
In a large bowl, stir together flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and nutmeg. Using a pastry blender or 2 knives, cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Gently stir in blueberries.
Beat egg lightly with milk and vanilla; stir into berry mixture just until combined.
Spread half the batter in streusel-lined pan; sprinkle with remaining streusel, then with remaining batter.
Bake cake for about 40 to 60 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.
Let cool in pan for 15 minutes, then remove pan sides. Dust cake with powdered sugar.
The image featured at the top of this post is ©iStock.com/Siraphol