Photo: Leigh Loftus
People like cake. Now, I’m more of a cookie-and-brownie person myself, but even I understand that there’s a reason why we have birthday cake and not birthday brownies or birthday pie. People like cake.
There are all kinds of cakes out there – celebration cakes, breakfast cakes – and my personal favorite, ice cream cake – but the best cakes out there are the everyday cakes. Cakes that isn’t too drenched in too-sweet frosting so you can snack on it between meals, cake that you can offer someone for no reason at all.
I adapted this from an Ina Garten recipe for blueberry crumb cake, simply because I wanted to make the perfect crumb cake without making a trip to the store for ingredients. I had everything on the list for Ina’s cake except the blueberries, so a blueberry-less cake it would be.
Streusel- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- ⅓ cup light brown sugar, lightly packed
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ⅛ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ¼ pound (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted
- 1⅓ cups all-purpose flour
Cake- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature (3/4 stick)
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs, at room temperature
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon grated lemon zest
- ⅔ cup creme fraiche
- 1¼ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 cup fresh blueberries (optional)
- Confectioners' sugar for sprinkling
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter and flour a 9-inch round baking pan.
- For the streusel: Combine the granulated sugar, brown sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg in a bowl. Stir in the melted butter and then the flour. Mix well and set aside.
- For the cake: Cream the butter and sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment on high speed for 4 to 5 minutes, until light. Reduce the speed to low and add the eggs 1 at a time, then add the vanilla, lemon zest, and creme fraiche.
- In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. With the mixer on low speed, add the flour mixture to the batter until just combined. Fold in the blueberries and stir with a spatula to be sure the batter is completely mixed.
- Spoon the batter into the prepared pan and spread it out with a knife. With your fingers,crumble the topping evenly over the batter. Bake for 40 to 50 minutes, until a cake tester comes out clean. Cool completely before serving.
24 Comments
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April 27, 2016 at 12:32 am[…] As far as the sweet treats go, I love to stick with simple additions that you know people will like. I used to create elaborate recipes for parties, but the truth is, most people just want simple sugar cookies and cinnamon coffee cake. […]
Peter
May 26, 2010 at 5:55 pmOh this looks ridiculous delicious.
Trish
May 24, 2010 at 7:29 pmMy husband has someone coming over on Friday to help him do some work and I was thinking a coffee cake and coffee would be a nice thing to offer. Thanks for the recipe!
P.S. If I make it do you mind if I post it on my blog if I link back to you?
Kelly
May 23, 2010 at 5:33 pmSome of my best recipe discoveries come when I don’t have all of the ingredients in my house. Looks delicious, can’t wait to make this coffee cake!
grace
May 23, 2010 at 5:45 amyes, people like cake. also, people like streusel. me? i like cake and LOVE streusel, so the gargantuan layer of it on this particular cake excites me greatly. 🙂
Jessica
May 21, 2010 at 11:18 pmDelicious cake! I have never made crumb cake before with the creme fraiche before. What do you think it adds to the recipe?
The picture is beautiful too; making me hungry for some of that coffee cake!
Megan (Best of Fates)
May 21, 2010 at 10:05 amOoh – that looks so delicious. Why, oh why, did I not foresee I’d want that, then make it last night so I could be eating it right now? Oh, the tragedy.
CookiePie
May 21, 2010 at 11:45 amSoooo yummy!! I’ve made her cake with the blueberries, also delicious. I’d like a slice of yours right now with some coffee!!
Caroline
May 21, 2010 at 11:15 amLooks fantastic!
mandy
May 20, 2010 at 11:02 pmI would be perfectly happy with birthday brownies. This cake looks delicious. I need something to take to a friend next week, this would be perfect!
Joanne
May 20, 2010 at 9:12 pmI’m more of a cupcake person than a cake person (I know. I make no sense). But I can still appreciate how delicious this is. I love how massive the crumb layer is!
Beth @ 990 Square
May 20, 2010 at 8:52 pmOh I love a good coffee cake! So good to snack on anytime!
Katie@Cozydelicious
May 20, 2010 at 2:23 pmI adore coffee cake. Mostly because it means I can eat cake for breakfast and not feel guilty! This looks so much like my grandmother’s coffee cake, which I remember as being quite amazing. Yum!
Tender B.
May 20, 2010 at 5:45 pmBeautiful looking streusel. Thanks for the recipe because I love streusels but seldom feel inclined to do so. Now I do so.
runnerforever
May 20, 2010 at 5:41 pmOh man, this is killing me. It is one of my all time favorite desserts!
Michy
May 20, 2010 at 5:09 pmThat looks sooo delicious. I love crumb cake, and I love cinnamon… Yum. Also, I asked my “adopted” mother for a birthday brownie instead of a birthday cake one year — didn’t work out, but I tried!
By the way, thanks for the comment on my blog. 🙂
Lindsay
May 20, 2010 at 11:30 amOh no, I wish I hadn’t seen this! Now I’m going to have to make it as soon as possible. Is there anything better than cinnamon and sugar and cake?
I’m so glad you left me a message because I got to check out your blog. Love the recipies!
Lydia (The Perfect Pantry)
May 20, 2010 at 3:35 pmI’m a purist about coffee cakes, and would never put the blueberries in. This looks delicious. And aren’t the best cakes the ones you bake for no reason at all?
Michelle @ Give Me the Almond Butter
May 20, 2010 at 10:23 amThat looks even better than similar cakes my mom used to make us. Mmmm yummy.
DessertForTwo
May 20, 2010 at 12:06 pmHi Maris, thanks for the sweet comment on my blog. I am loving your blog. I’m definitely your audience! And I also love that Cooking for Mr. Latte book, too! Keep up the great recipes! I can’t wait to try the baked kale pasta, pomegranate sangria, and real corn muffins. Thanks for sharing 🙂
Dana
May 20, 2010 at 12:02 pmYes, people do like cake and finding a good simple one is harder than most people would think. Ina is the perfect person to trust with something like this. Looks awesome, Maris!
Lisa
May 20, 2010 at 11:37 amDelicious! I want to come to your house for brunch! 🙂
kat
May 20, 2010 at 10:05 amI love coffee cake too! I see nothing wrong with birthday pie too, my friend always used to make us apple pies for our birthdays
Daryl
May 20, 2010 at 8:35 amI am craving the top of that cake right now. Best part!!!