Olla-Podrida: Melissa's Meyer Lemons

Thursday, July 26, 2018

Blueberry Coffee Cake

I feel about blueberries the same way in which I feel about strawberries, I cannot get enough of their juicy blue goodness. So, I picked up a big container of them, and started baking. Take note of this day. It’s not often that I bake. But, I had seen a recipe for Blueberry Coffee Cake on the Barefeet in the Kitchen blog, and it spoke to me. Am I ever glad that it did; I think this is probably one of the best coffee cakes that I have ever tasted. It is intensely flavorful, loaded with the sweet goodness of fresh blueberries, and the crumb topping takes it over the top. I, unlike the late Mr. O-P, like round coffee cakes, so I baked mine in a 9-inch round pan.

If you like blueberries as much as I do, give this coffee cake a try. My guess is that it would be equally good with chopped fresh bing cherries, or halved raspberries.

Blueberry Coffee Cake
Slightly adapted from Barefeet in the Kitchen

½ cup unsalted butter, softened
1 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1 T. lemon zest (I used Melissa’s Meyer lemons)
2 T. fresh Meyer lemon juice (Melissa’s again)
2 t. vanilla extract
1 cup flour
½ teaspoon baking powder
½ cup sour cream
6 ounces fresh blueberries

Topping:
2/3 cup flour
1/3 cup dark brown sugar
¼ cup melted butter

Preheat oven to 350° F. Grease an 8” square pan (or like I did, a 9” round pan – this one) with butter (I used Baker’s Joy). In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat butter and sugar together until light and fluffy, about 6 minutes. Stir in vanilla, lemon zest, and lemon juice. Add the eggs one at a time, mixing until just combined.

In a medium bowl combine flour and baking powder. Place the blueberries into a small bowl and sprinkle with a couple tablespoons of the dry ingredients; stir gently to coat the berries (this keeps them from sinking to the bottom of the coffee cake). Alternately add dry ingredients with sour cream to the butter/sugar mixture, mixing until just combined, beginning and ending with dry ingredients.

Fold in blueberries gently, and pour the batter into the prepared pan. Place flour and sugar for the topping in the same small bowl that held the blueberries, and stir in melted butter. Toss with a fork to combine and sprinkle over the batter in the pan. Bake for 40 to 50 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean or with moist crumbs. Allow to cool before slicing.

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If you love a good coffeecake, and with plum season on the horizon, you MUST try this Plum Streusel Coffee Cake.

This post is linked to:

Dishing It & Digging It

Full Plate Thursday

Thursday Favorite Things
Funtastic Friday
Best of the Weekend
Pink Saturday
Snickerdoodle Create Bake & Create

Grace at Home

Friday at the Fire Station
Create, Bake, Grow and Gather

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Tuesday, July 3, 2018

Old Fashioned Homemade Lemonade

It was only on rare occasions that my mother would make lemonade. I think the reason being was that it contained a decent amount of sugar, and she was afraid she would drink the entire pitcher. Yep, it was that good. But, considering the nutrition in the fresh lemon juice, I can’t help but think that offsets any negative aspects the sugar can bring. And, hey, with this hot weather we need to stay hydrated, right? I can’t think of a better way in which to do that than by drinking healthy quantities of this refreshing beverage.

Old Fashioned Homemade Lemonade

1 1/2 cups fresh lemon juice (I used Melissa’s Meyer lemons*)
1 cup Sugar
4 cups water, divided

Make simple syrup by placing 1 cup sugar and 1 cup water into a medium sauce pan. Bring to a boil over medium/high heat, stirring occasionally until sugar is completely dissolved. Set aside to cool.

Add lemon juice and simple syrup to pitcher. Stir to blend. Add remaining 3 cups water, and stir until well mixed. Refrigerate at least 1 hour to chill. Pour into a tall glass (I like these) and enjoy! Garnish as you see fit.

If you’d like to make pink lemonade for the kids, stir in a half cup of maraschino cherry juice, and garnish with some cherries.

*Meyer lemons are sweeter than regular lemons and will give your lemonade an excellent taste. I highly recommend using these whenever you make a sweet drink.