Recipe: SoNo Baking Company Blueberry Crumb Cake (with chunky cinnamon-brown sugar topping)

BLUEBERRY CRUMB CAKE
"This cake was inspired by a crumb cake developed by Sara Foster, a wonderful chef and award-winning cookbook author. My blueberry version combines a layer of vanilla cake - not too sweet - with fresh blueberries and a chunky cinnamon-brown sugar crumb topping. It makes a nice snack cake, but everyone in my family likes it for breakfast, too.

You can vary the batter with chocolate chips, or add chopped nuts to the topping. My kids, who love this kind of breakfast pastry, eat the cake warm, right out of the oven. But it's also a great favorite at the farmers' market, where folks enjoy it at room temperature."


FOR THE CRUMB TOPPING:
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon coarse salt
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter

FOR THE CAKE:
1 1/2 cups plus 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour, divided use
2 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon coarse salt
1/2 cup whole milk
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 large egg, at room temperature
1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
1 pint (2 cups) fresh blueberries
1 to 2 tablespoons confectioners' sugar

Set the oven rack in the lower third of the oven. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a (12 1/4 by 8 1/4 by 1 1/4-inch) baking sheet* with nonstick cooking spray. Coat with flour and tap out the excess.

TO MAKE THE CRUMB TOPPING:
In a large bowl, sift the 2 1/2 cups flour with the brown sugar, cinnamon, and 1/2 teaspoon salt.

Melt the butter in a small saucepan; let cool for 2 minutes. Pour the melted butter over the flour mixture. Work the mixture with your fingertips to press into nice large crumbs; set aside.

TO MAKE THE CAKE:
In a large bowl, stir together 1 1/2 cups of the flour, the baking powder, and 1 teaspoon salt; set aside.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the milk, granulated sugar, oil, egg, and vanilla and add to the flour mixture. Stir until the flour is absorbed. Using a small offset spatula, spread the batter over the prepared pan.

In a medium bowl, toss the blueberries with the remaining 1 tablespoon of flour. Sprinkle evenly over the cake. Scatter the crumb topping over the top; it will completely cover the berries.

Bake, rotating the pan about two-thirds of the way through the baking time, until the topping is golden brown, the blueberries are bubbling, and a cake tester inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean, 45 to 50 minutes. Remove to a cooling rack and allow to cool for 10 minutes, or completely.

Sift confectioners' sugar over the top. Cut into twelve 3-inch squares to serve.

*TIP: The pan I use for this cake is sold in specialty cookware stores. You can find aluminum pans of exactly the same size (and much more easily) at most supermarkets and retail stores.

Makes 12 servings
Used by permission to Recipelink.com from Clarkson Potter
Adapted from source: The Seasonal Baker by John Barricelli - Owner of the SoNo Baking Company