I have been hanging on to this recipe for Blueberry Lemon Coffee Cake (from Cooking Light) for a few weeks and wondering when I could squeeze it in my schedule. Somehow, amidst the cookie making (and eating) this week, I snuck it in and brought it to work for everyone to try. The reaction was very positive! It is a lovely and lighter version of coffee cake recipes that call for much more butter. It is essentially blueberry season here in Rhode Island so I used some great local berries which really made the flavors in this easy to make cake pop. I am typically a fan of the lemon-blueberry flavor combination and was not disappointed here at all. Also, the addition of almond paste in the batter and chopped sliced almonds in the crumble on top gave the cake a nutty undertone that I loved.
I also wanted to make sure I sent this recipe to Susan from Food Blogga who is hosting this month's Sugar High Friday. You can read about the "history" of Sugar High Friday here. The theme this time around is berries. I will post a link to the round up because I am sure there will be a host of wonderful summery sweet and savory berry recipes for you to enjoy.
Cake:
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup sugar
1/3 cup almond paste
2 tablespoons chilled butter, cut into small pieces
1 large egg
1 tablespoon lemon juice
3/4 cup fat-free milk
1 1/2 cups blueberries
2 teaspoons grated lemon rind
Cooking spray
Topping:
1/4 cup sugar
3 tablespoons sliced almonds, chopped
1 1/2 tablespoons butter, melted
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Preheat oven to 350 F. To prepare cake, combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a small bowl and whisk.
Place 1/2 cup sugar, almond paste, and 2 tablespoons butter in a large bowl. Beat with a mixer on medium until well blended. Add egg and lemon juice and beat well. Add the flour and milk alternately to the sugar mixture, beginning and ending with the flour mix. Fold in the blueberries and rind. Spoon batter into a 9-inch square baking pan coated with cooking spray.
To prepare topping, combine 1/4 cup of sugar and the remaining ingredients in a small bowl. Toss with a fork until moist. Sprinkle evenly over batter. Bake at 350 F for 35 minutes or until a wooden toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool in pan on a wire rack.
