Blueberry Crumb Cake

I made this coffeecake to bring along on the family camping trip this weekend, where we romped on a gorgeous Lake Michigan beach for two days. If you ever get a chance to visit Grand Haven, Michigan, you shouldn't miss it; there's a reason Michigan is called "The Third Coast". The sugar-sand beaches here are as gorgeous and well-maintained as those on the Atlantic or Pacific - without the heavy waves or eye-burning salt water.

 

If you ever get tired of splashing in the surf, playing in the sand, or relaxing on a blanket in the sun, it's fun to head into Grand Haven proper. The boardwalk leads up the river to a lighted musical fountain, ice cream shops, and a pretty little town with some interesting stores and cafes.

Grand Haven pier, with its iconic red lighthouses, is a pretty walk. Teens perform back flips into the water and boats anchor along the edge to watch the sun set over the lake. The sunsets over Lake Michigan are stunning; sunrises over the lake, from the Illinois side, are just not the same to me.

We even saw a huge tanker come in off the lake and cruise up the river past the dwarfed yachts and sailboats. Grand Haven is beautiful.

Say hello to my parents, and the tanker Cuyahoga.

We devoured this blueberry coffee cake yesterday while pulling up stakes and stowing camping gear. My nephew Alex was the last one to stumble out of my sister's pop-up camper in the morning. When he took his first bite, he just said, "WOW." It was a good "wow". This is teen-approved food, from a teen who needs serious fuel.

I really want to skimboard like Alex does.

Then I took the fork out of his hand and told him to eat with his fingers, because I was doing the last of the dishes.

We headed out of the PJ Hoffmaster State Park and down to the beach for another day in the sun. None of us really wanted to leave on such a gorgeous day, but eventually we drove off for Ann Arbor and Chicago and Toledo. Today we're relaxing and slowly sweeping sand out of everything (really, EVERYTHING), and washing everything that smells like woodsmoke and bug spray. I really wish I'd made a second batch of this rich and moist cake for us to enjoy today. And by the way, I'm sunburned in places I didn't even know I could burn.

Ingredients

For the cake:

1 stick of butter (8 tbsp)
2/3 cup sugar
3 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp lemon zest
2/3 cup sour cream
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 cups fresh blueberries
2 tbsp flour

For the crumb topping

1/3 cup sugar
1/3 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
6 tbsp butter, melted
1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9x11" baking pan.

Cream the butter and sugar together in an electric mixer. Add the eggs, vanilla, lemon zest, and sour cream; beat on low speed until combined. In a separate bowl, stir together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Slowly add the flour mixture to the batter, while beating, until just combined. The batter will be fairly thick.

Place the berries in a bowl and sprinkle with the 2 tbsp of flour (this will help them from falling to the bottom of the cake). Gently stir them into the batter. Spoon the batter into the prepared pan and spread it out over the pan.

Combine the granulated sugar, brown sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg in a bowl. Stir in the melted butter and then the flour. Sprinkle over the top of the batter.

Bake for 35-45 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.

Serves 6-8.