Blueberry-Lemon-Sour Cream Coffee Cake

Before my parents came to visit last December, I asked my mother to go to Reny's (oh, how I miss Reny's!) and pick up a couple of cans of Wyman's Blueberries. The blueberries out West are gigantic, and nothing at all like wild Maine blueberries. I don't like the large ones at all in baked products - - just not the same!

I held onto those cans for over a month before I finally decided I could part with one of them - - after all, that is why I'd asked for them. So, I turned to my copy of Stonewall Kitchen Harvest for some inspiration. If you've not had the pleasure of thumbing through this cookbook, you are missing out. It is full of wonderful seasonal recipes, and I have many, many pages marked for future cooking and baking adventures.

This recipe produces a cake that is light, delicate, and super, super moist, with a layer of blueberry, cinnamon, and nuts in the center. Lemon zest adds a nice touch, and it is covered with a nice crumb topping. Definitely worthy of my coveted can of wild Maine blueberries!

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease and flour a 12-cup Bundt pan and set aside. Make blueberry filling:

~ 1 1/2 cups fresh blueberries (or, one can Wyman's Wild Blueberries)

~ 1/2 cup coarsely chopped walnuts

~ 2 Tbsp. granulated sugar

~ 1 1/2 tsp. grated lemon zest

~ 1 tsp. ground cinnamon

Set this mixture aside. Next, make the crumb topping:

~ 1/2 cup coarsely chopped walnuts

~ 1/4 cup granulated sugar

~ 1 tsp. ground cinnamon

Set this mixture aside, too. Now, make the cake batter:

~ 2 cups all-purpose flour

~ 1 tsp. baking powder

~ 1/2 tsp. baking soda

~ 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature (do not use margarine)

~ 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar

~ 2 large eggs

~ 1 cup regular sour cream (do not use fat-free or reduced fat)

~ 1/2 Tbsp. grated lemon zest

Sift together the flour, baking powder, and baking soda in a medium bowl. Set aside. In large bowl, cream together the butter and sugar with mixer at medium speed, until fluffy and pale yellow, approximately 5 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a spatula. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Reduce speed to low and add half of the flour mixture, beating until well-incorporated. Add half of the sour cream and all of the lemon zest and mix well. Add the remaining flour and then the remaining sour cream, scraping the bowl as needed, and mixing until smooth and completely mixed.

Spoon half the batter into the prepared Bundt pan; smooth with a spatula. Sprinkle the blueberry mixture evenly over the cake batter. Top with remaining batter; smooth gently with spatula. The batter will be a bit thick and difficult to work with - don't worry, the cake will turn out fine. Sprinkle with crumb topping. Bake for 55 minutes to one hour, or until a skewer inserted into the center comes out clean.

Remove from the oven and let cool in the pan for 30 minutes. You might need to use a table knife to gently release the cake from the pan's sides. Then, invert onto a serving plate and gently remove the pan. This cake will keep at room temperature, tightly wrapped in plastic, for several days. It can also be wrapped and frozen for several months. Delicious!