Wild Huckleberry Coffee Cake with Crumb Top (*or other fruit)

 

I was feeling kind of bad about how much butter we go through, until the other day when I saw a post by a very well-known blogger who told how much butter she goes through!

It totally cracked me up and now I don’t feel quite so bad! I do use a lot, but I stand by the real deal wholeheartedly.

The ingredient list for butter is….ready for this?….”cream”. That’s it. Just cream. Unless it’s salted and then it’s ….”cream and salt”. Nothing else.

I once read, well tried to read, the revoltingly long list of “ingredients” (cough! – chemicals – cough!) in margarine and was disgusted. No thank you, I’ll pass.

Neither I’m sure is actually good for us, but I’ll take natural over a shitstorm of chemicals any day! 😉

 

 

So what’s my point of all this? This coffee cake has a lot of butter in it. A lot.

1 1/2 sticks for an 8″ cake a lot. And that’s why I make it once about every 5 years! 

But this is the real deal folks. A completely from scratch cake that is everything a good coffee cake should be!

Rich, buttery, dense, and complete with a homemade fruit filling and crumble topping!

No box mixes. No cans. And certainly no margarine!!! 

 

 

Just all-natural wholesome goodness! And exactly what you wish and expect a good homemade coffee cake to taste like!

It takes a bit longer to make than those cheater versions that use a boxed cake mix and a can of goopey pie filling. But there’s simply no comparison. As there shouldn’t be.

 

 

And though our personal favorite is huckleberry, you can use about any fruit you wish! Especially strawberries, blackberries, raspberries and blueberries! All work very well! 

 

 

So if you’re hankering for a good old-fashioned coffee cake, this recipe is just what you’re looking for!

Perfect for breakfast, brunch or even dessert! Especially good warmed, too! 😉

But let it cool completely before cutting so the filling can set nicely. Then simply rewarm in the microwave. I hope you do give this a try soon!

Have a beautiful spring day everybody! 😀  

 

WILD HUCKLEBERRY COFFEE CAKE with CRUMB TOP

Makes 1 – 8″ square panful / about 9 servings (*can use other fruits)

 

For Huckleberry Layer:

2 cups frozen huckleberries

1/2 cup plus 1 Tbl. sugar

1/8 cup cornstarch mixed with 1/8 cup cold water

1 tsp. vanilla

1/4 tsp. cinnamon

1/4 tsp. almond extract

1 Tbl. butter, cut up

1 cup more frozen huckleberries

 

Rest of Ingredients:

2 1/3 cups flour

3/4 cup sugar

3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) cold butter cut up into small pieces

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. baking powder

1/4 tsp. cinnamon

1/8 tsp. salt

3/4 cup buttermilk (*see easy substitute at bottom if none on hand)

1 tsp. vanilla

1/4 tsp. almond extract

1 extra-large egg, lightly beaten

 

DIRECTIONS:

For Huckleberry Layer:

Place 2 cups of frozen berries and sugar into medium saucepan. Over medium heat, Gently stir occasionally and cook until sugar has dissolved, there’s some juice, and mixture comes to a boil. Stir in cornstarch slurry, and continue cooking and gently stirring until very thick and clear. Remove from heat and stir in extracts, cinnamon, and butter until melted. Fold in last 1 cup frozen berries. Set aside to cool. 

For Rest:

In large regular mixing bowl, (by hand) whisk together flour and sugar to mix well. Cut in butter until mixture is crumbly. *Remove a half of a cup for the topping and set aside. 

To the rest, add baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and salt. Whisk until well combined. Stir in buttermilk, vanilla, almond extract and beaten egg until moistened and mixed but still lumpy. Don’t over mix.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Spread 1 1/2 cups batter into greased or sprayed nonstick 8″ square baking pan. *I spoon into the center, then spread outwards into corners and sides evenly. Take your time doing this. 

Carefully spoon huckleberry mixture over top.

Drop remaining batter by tablespoons over huckleberry mixture.

Sprinkle with reserved crumb topping mixture.

Bake in 350 degree preheated oven for 38-42 minutes until golden on top. 

Cool on wire rack. Store in an airtight container (such as a cake carrier) on the counter at room temp. 

*Variations: You can substitute other fruits for the huckleberries such as cut up fresh frozen strawberries, or fresh frozen blueberries, blackberries, or raspberries. Season with extracts and spices as preferred.

**Buttermilk substitute: Add 1 Tbl. lemon juice (concentrate ok) to a 3/4 measuring cup. Fill the rest of the way up with milk. Let sit at least 5 minutes. Stir and use.