Blueberry Cornmeal Coffee Cake

Thank God we are leaving ramp season and safely in the arms of rhubarb season. I don’t care about ramps, I’m sorry! I don’t go to the farmer’s market often enough to buy them. I’ll happily order something featuring them off a menu, I guess, but I just don’t get the hype. Maybe I’ll break one day and become hyper-fixated with them and develop a ton of ramp recipes but I just hesitate to think anyone except silly little people like me on the internet actually cook with them. I’d love to be proven wrong!

I have some exciting things coming up for this newsletter, like, maybe a name! And like, changing up how it looks! And in addition to the sort of service-y posts I’ve been doing (do you like them? I hope you do! More to come!) I’m also starting another series that I’ll talk about in next week’s post.

EGO Recommends

Podcast 🎧: “We Need to Talk About the New York Times” You’re Wrong About
This is a pretty popular (and great!) podcast, so I doubt I’m exposing most of you to it. I’ve been diving through their archive and this episode felt like it deserved to be re-upped considering the the present moment we find ourselves in re: the world. Even though it was released a year ago, and focuses primarily on their coverage of trans issues, is still a prescient case study in how the Times, in an attempt show how fair and balanced they are, often winds up being way more deferential to the status quo, masquerading as being neutral, and failing at actually being fair and balanced.

This Week’s Recipe

The recipes I create for clients don’t always appear on the newsletter but this one was just far-and-away too good to not include. (The U.S. Highbush Blueberry Council sponsored the video posts on social media, but not this post, just FYI). Also just wanted to have a place where people could get this recipe and read it easily because I realize the instructions being broken up between an small Instagram caption and comments isn’t ideal.

easygayoven

A post shared by @easygayoven

@easygayovenSome people think coffee cake should have coffee in it but I’m not like that, I just think it should be served for breakfast and blueberries just scream breakfast (right?) This blueberry cornmeal coffee cake is really like a deluxe blueberry muffin that feels super special for an occasion (or no occasion at all!) So happy to partner with the one the only @Blueberries on this one. (Ad) My roommate tried it and said it was “gaggy” which if you didn’t know, is a good thing. Cooked down with some lemon juice and sugar, the blueberries lend their vibrant indigo color to the ripple running through the cake. And by the way! The topping is pulling double duty as some of it mixed in with the filling to add body, sweetness and cinnamon flavor. And cornmeal adds a grounded flavor, bite of texture and yellow hue. #blueberries #blueberrycake #coffeecake Recipe: Blueberry cinnamon filling 1 pint blueberries (plus about 1/2 cup more for topping) 1/4 teaspoon fine kosher salt 2 tablespoons granulated sugar 2 tablespoons lemon juice Cake 1 ½ cups all purpose flour (195 grams) 1/2 cup plus two tablespoons cornmeal (98 grams ) 3/4 teaspoon fine kosher salt 3/4 teaspoon baking powder 1/2 teaspoon baking soda 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon 12 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature 1 cup granulated sugar (220 grams) 3 large eggs, at room temperature 2 teaspoons vanilla extract 1/2 cup sour cream, at room temperature (113.5 grams) 2 tablespoons whole milk or plant-based milk alternative Topping 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, gently melted (57 grams) 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon 1/2 cup brown sugar, lightly packed (106 grams) 3/4 cup plus two tablespoons all-purpose flour (114 grams) Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease a 9-inch square tin and line with parchment paper. Cook the blueberries, salt, granulated sugar and lemon juice in a small saucepan over medium heat, breaking up the berries as much as possible, until thick and reduced to about 3/4-1 cup. Remove from heat and allow to cool. For the cake: In a small mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, cornmeal, baking soda, baking powder and cinnamon. Set aside. In a large mixing bowl using a hand mixer, or in a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter and sugar until fluffy and pale in color. Add the eggs in one at a time on medium low speed, allowing each to fully mix in before adding the next. Mix in the vanilla with the last egg just until smooth. Alternating additions, mix in half the dry ingredients on low speed, then half the sour cream and milk. Repeat until all ingredients are combined and beat just until smooth. Make the crumble topping, stir together the melted butter, brown sugar, cinnamon and salt in a small mixing bowl. In a small bowl, mix 1/2 cup of the crumble topping with the blueberry mixture, trying to smooth out any lumps. Spread out half the batter into the bottom of the tin, then spread the filling evenly over top. Dot the filling with scoops of the remaining batter (I find a cookie scoop works well for this but you can also just use a spoon.) Spread out the batter evenly, connecting the dots, with a small offset spatula. Sprinkle the batter with the remaining crumble topping and about a half cup more blueberries. Bake for 32 minutes on the middle rack or until a wooden skewer comes out of the center with just a few crumbs. Allow to cool completely on a wire rack before serving.

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This coffee cake has no coffee in it, but it does have blueberries — scattered on top and running like a river through the middle. The blueberry filling is cooked down with some lemon juice and bulked up with some of the crumble topping so that it’s not just wet, wet fruit that seeps in and won’t give you that clean ripple. Cornmeal gives a little color, a little flavor, and a little bite and, honestly, I’m dying to make any future coffee cake like this because I’m not going back to 100% all-purpose!

When my friends try the stuff I make, I always tell them when I want feedback and when I don’t. Most give me the negative feedback either way! So at least I know they’re honest. My roommate actually told me this cake was “gaggy” which if you don’t speak gay Gen-Z means it’s really good. (Gag-worthy ≠ makes you actually gag.)

Blueberry Cornmeal Coffee Cake

Makes about 16 slices

Ingredients

Blueberry cinnamon filling 

• 1 pint blueberries (plus about 1/2 cup more for topping) 

• 1/4 teaspoon fine kosher salt

• 2 tablespoons granulated sugar

• 2 tablespoons lemon juice 

Cake 

• 1 ½ cups all purpose flour (195 grams)

• 1/2 cup plus two tablespoons cornmeal (98 grams)

• 3/4 teaspoon fine kosher salt

• 3/4 teaspoon baking powder

• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda

• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon 

• 12 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature 

• 1 cup granulated sugar (220 grams)

• 3 large eggs, at room temperature

• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

• 1/2 cup sour cream, at room temperature (113.5 grams)

• 2 tablespoons whole milk or plant-based milk alternative 

Topping 

• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, gently melted (57 grams)

• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon 

• 1/2 cup brown sugar, lightly packed (106 grams)

• 3/4 cup plus two tablespoons all-purpose flour (114 grams)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease a 9-inch square tin and line with parchment paper. 

2. Cook the blueberries, salt,  granulated sugar and lemon juice in a small saucepan over medium heat, breaking up the berries as much as possible, until thick and reduced to about 3/4-1 cup. Remove from heat and allow to cool. 

3. For the cake: In a small mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, cornmeal, baking soda, baking powder and cinnamon. Set aside. 

4. In a large mixing bowl using a hand mixer, or in a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter and sugar until fluffy and pale in color. Add the eggs  in one at a time on medium low speed, allowing each to fully mix in before adding the next. Mix in the vanilla with the last egg just until smooth. 

5. Alternating additions, mix in half the dry ingredients on low speed, then half the sour cream and milk. Repeat until all ingredients are combined and beat just until smooth. 

6. Make the crumble topping, stir together the melted butter, brown sugar, cinnamon and salt in a small mixing bowl. In a small bowl, mix 1/2 cup of the crumble topping with the blueberry mixture, trying to smooth out any lumps. 

7. Spread out half the batter into the bottom of the tin, then spread the filling evenly over top. Dot the filling with scoops of the remaining batter (I find a cookie scoop works well for this but you can also just use a spoon.) Spread out the batter evenly, connecting the dots, with a small offset spatula. 

8. Sprinkle the batter with the remaining crumble topping and about a half cup more blueberries. 

9. Bake for 32 minutes on the middle rack or until a wooden skewer comes out of the center with just a few crumbs.

10. Allow to cool completely on a wire rack before serving.