blueberry coffee cake...

with crunchy walnut topping!

this was such a hit at work that i'm making it for mother's day. i also intend to make it during the summer when i can get the tiny maine blueberries to bake with. this recipe comes from the williams-sonoma "desserts - new healthy kitchen" cookbook. thanks to aunt deena again!

Crunchy Walnut Topping
1/2 cup walnut or pecan pieces
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
2 tbsp all-purpose flour
1 tsp ground cinnamon
2 tbsp butter, melted

Cake
1/2 cup butter, softened
2/3 cup granulated sugar
1 egg at room temperature
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup low-fat sour cream
1 3/4 cups all purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 cup fresh or frozen blueberries

preheat oven to 350F. line bottom of a 9-inch springform pan with parchment paper

for topping: put walnut pieces in a bowl and sprinkle with brown sugar, flour and cinnamon. toss with a fork to combine. drizzle with melted butter and toss again. set aside.

for cake: cream softened butter and granulated sugar together in a bowl until fluffy. beat in egg and vanilla. add sour cream and beat until combined. sift flour, baking powder, and baking soda together. add to butter mixture and stir until just combined. pour batter into prepared pan and smooth top. sprinkle evenly with berries, then with topping.

bake until cake is risen, golden in color and no long jiggles when pan is skaen, and a wooden skewer inserted in center comes out clean, 55-60 minutes. remove from oven and let cake stand in pan on a wire rack for 15 minutes before unlatching sides and transferring cake to a plate. let cool completely, about 2 hours, before slicing.

back from vacation and spiced apple cake

sorry it's been so long since i've posted. greg and i were on a 2 week vacation! we went on a week cruise with my parents, sister and grandmother to celebrated my parents' 30th anniversary... for the other week, we were getting ready for the wedding of our friends otto and marisa at the palm beach zoo. while it was nice to relax for 2 whole weeks, it is good to be home and back to baking. i didn't bake on vacation, why would i do my job while trying to relax...

this spiced apple cake is the first recipe i made when we got back to work. it is from the williams-sonoma "desserts - new healthy kitchen" cookbook that greg and i got from my aunt deena as an anniversary gift.

3 green apples
1 cupe granulated sugar
1/2 cup butter, melted
1 egg
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
1/2 tsp ground allspice
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 golden raisins
2 tbsp granulated sugar mixed with 1 tsp ground cinnamon
powdered sugar for dusting

preheat oven to 325F. butter an 8-inch round cake pan. core and thinly slice apples, leaving skin intact. whisk granulated sugar, butter and egg together in a bowl. stir in two-thirds of the apple slices.

sift flour, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, and salt together. add to egg mixture along with raisins, stirring until just blended. pour into prepared pan and smooth top. arrange remaining apple slices in a pattern on top, pressing them gently into batter. sprinkle with cinnamon sugar. bake until goden and springy to touch, about 50 minutes. let cake stand in pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes, then turn out and let cool completely, about 2 hourse. dust with powdered sugar and cut into wedges to serve.

notes: you can use any type of appes in season. the cake will taste slightly different every time but is always moist, as well as easy to prepare. store cake in a covered container in refrigerator for up to 4 days.

the cake turned out pretty well, with the exception that it was a little under cooked in the center. give the cake a few more mintues in the oven if you find it is still a little goopy in the middle.