Blueberry Cream Cheese Coffee Cake

Jan 08, 2024

By Jessica Rogers

As the weather gets cooler, our mornings lately have included making a second pot of coffee after chores and sitting by the fire to warm up while we eat breakfast together. Here’s a favorite winter coffee cake of ours for you to try. It’s best served cold as the filling is heavy. But if you’re at all like me and enjoy your coffee cake piping hot, just warm it up in the microwave after you slice yourself a generous piece.

Ingredients:

• 2 cups fresh or frozen blueberries
• ½ cup water
• 2 teaspoons cornstarch
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 cup sugar
• ½ cup cold Westby Creamery butter, diced
• ½ teaspoon baking powder
• ½ teaspoon baking soda
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
• ¾ cup Westby Creamery sour cream
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 2 large eggs
• 6 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
• 1 teaspoon lemon juice
• ½ cup sliced almonds

Directions:

1. Over medium heat, bring blueberries and water to a boil. Simmer, stirring occasionally until blueberries have released their juices. It should take 3 – 5 minutes.
2. In a small bowl, blend the cornstarch and 1 generous tablespoon of water together. Stir it into the blueberry mixture, cook until it thickens for about 1 minute. Remove from heat and cool.
3. Butter a 9-inch springform pan and line the bottom with parchment paper.
4. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Meanwhile, whisk together the flour and ¾ cup of the sugar.
5. Cut in the butter with a pastry blender until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Set aside ½ cup of this mixture for topping.
6. Stir in the baking powder, baking soda, salt and lemon zest.
7. In a separate bowl mix the yogurt, vanilla and 1 egg until blended. Stir this wet mixture into the dry just until incorporated
8. Spread the batter out in the prepared pan – it will be thick.
9. In a bowl or in the food processor (no need to wash it out from earlier) beat on high speed the cream cheese and the remaining ¼ cup sugar, 1 egg and lemon juice until smooth and creamy. Pour over the batter in the pan.
10. Gently drop half of the blueberry mixture over the cream cheese mixture by the spoonful leaving about a 1-2-inch border around the edge.
11. Stir the almonds into the reserved flour mixture and sprinkle over the outside edge of the cake making a 1-2-inch border.
    Spoon the rest of the blueberries into the middle.
12. Bake for 35 – 40 minutes. Let cool before serving.

 -Jessica Rogers is a Westby Creamery farmer-owner who is sharing glimpses of farm life with us.