Blackberry Coffee Cake
Sundays have been…..hard. Not that I’m depressed or sad, but more that I’m nursing the hangover from the Saturday Zoom party that’s become part of our regularly scheduled quarantine routine, and it’s just led to Sundays starting on a rough note. But this week I planned ahead (kind of). I felt the urge to make sure we had an Easter brunch on deck, & baked this Blackberry Coffee Cake on Saturday night so it was ready to go with our Sunday morning coffee. Little did I expect that it would be the cure to my mild hangover, but holy hell was I glad to wake up to this beauty. I mean, if a quarantined Easter isn’t the time to have cake for breakfast, then when the hell is?
Easter isn’t super big at our house, but I do use it as my excuse to have a “ holiday treat” - in this case a more indulgent brunch. This year, & certainly due to my new appreciation for a good cake, all I could think was cake for breakfast. It just sounded like something that should happen during quarantine. I don’t think we’ve ever made a coffee cake at our house, & it’s something we eat probably at a rate of less than once every 2 years. My appreciation for them lies in the fact that it’s one of the few cakes that passes for a single layer, eliminating the steps of making a filling and stacking layers. Frosting is replaced with a loaded topping & a light powdered sugar glaze, taking out all the stress out of adding those final touches that can make or break your cake. Coffee cake, this Blackberry Coffee Cake included, is like the “set it and forget it” variation of cakes - throw everything in one pan, throw it in the oven, and you’re good to go.
If you like a sweet treat that is really fruit & not super sweet, you need to make this cake. Or if you are going somewhere for brunch and want to bring something to impress the group, you need to make this cake. First, there’s the sweet, berry color & overall look of the whole thing. The blackberries seep into the sponge while it bakes, lightly spreading this berry color through the middle of the cake, and it makes for really pretty slices. Also - the crumble. Ugh - the common denominator of cakes that makes it worth every morning calorie. Just sugar & melted butter mixed together, tossed on top of tangy sour cream-white cake (that’s the base of this cake), and it gets a little crispy when it’s baked up. & it’s like the yummy, sugary bite which is nice with tangy berries and a not super sweet cake.
This cake is easy to make + hard to mess up, so pretty much the best duo you can ask for in terms of any baked good. My 3 things to know about this cake:
You’re going to have a thin layer of batter in the spring form pan, & that’s totally okay! The cake will of course rise, giving you an appropriate thickness to your cake, & you aren’t going for a gargantuan cake here. It’s a delicate, & fairly light, coffee cake, so filling the pan less than 50% with the batter (something pretty unheard of with other cakes) is totally fine.
The batter is thick, so almond milk is needed! You use it as the agent that makes it easier to mix & gives it that cake batter consistency. Think thick, but still a cake batter. Totally ok to add an extra tablespoon of almond milk if you think you need it.
The more blackberries, the better! When they cook, the color kind of leaks into the cake, making it so pretty to cut into. Plus they’re just really delicious & the signature flavor of the whole thing, so go nuts.
The one thing I told Jordan on Saturday night, after it was baked and sitting on our counter looking very tempting, was that he couldn’t get tipsy and dig into a night time piece. I was adamant we save it for the morning. Sure enough, I was the one who too many glasses of wine, tossed aside will power, and cut us the smallest night-time slice. But it was a share piece, so it benefited the both of us!
This a new recipe to add to the repertoire of easy to make, really good, fool proof recipes you can make for your friends. & one I’ll definitely be resorting back to next time we have company staying at our house. I mean what’s better than a fruit riddled, freshly baked, homemade treat first thing in the morning. You can even make this guy the night before so it’s ready to go for brunch the next day. A total hit!
For the crumble top
3 tbsp butter, melted
1/4 c. flour
1/4 c. brown sugar
1/4 tsp cinnamon
For the cake
1 stick of butter, softened
3/4 c. sugar
2 eggs
1 tbsp maple syrup
1/2 c. sour cream
1 1/3 c. flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
Salt
2 tbsp almond milk
1 c. fresh blackberries (make it a generous cup)
For the glaze
3/4 c. powdered sugar
1-2 tsp almond milk
Start by greasing a springform pan with a little butter or canola, & spread with a paper towel. Preheat the oven to 350.
Next, move to making the crumble top. In a small bowl, mix together all of the crumble ingredients. You can easily mix with a fork, and the consistency you’re looking for are moist crumbs - the butter should be well incorporated with all of the dry ingredients. Set aside
Next, cream together the butter & sugar, beating until the mix is creamy & fluffy. Add in the eggs, mix, and then mix in the maple syrup. Next, add in the sour cream, mixing until the batter is smooth and sour cream is fully incorporated. Add in half of the flour as well as all of the baking powder & baking soda, and mix. Mix in the almond milk. Mix in the rest of the flour plus a pinch of salt. Batter is complete!
Pour the batter into the greased springform pan. Lightly spread with a spatula so you have an even layer. Next, sprinkle on the crumble topping. Add the blackberries right on top of the crumble - dotting them all over the top of the cake. Lastly, sprinkle on the almonds. Bake the cake for 35-40 minutes.
The cake is down when it’s lightly browned on top, & it passes the toothpick test. Let the cake cool at room temperature in the springform for at least 3 hours.
Once the cake is cooled, or right before serving, whisk the powdered sugar & 1 tsp milk to make your glaze. Add in more almond milk if needed - you want the glaze to be pretty thick, but runny enough so that it can be drizzled. Run a knife along the edges of the pan before releasing the spring to make sure you’ve got no stick. Transfer the cake to a serving try (or stand) & drizzle on the glaze. All done!