Serves 10 to 12
This blueberry coffee cake took on a new form one summer when my four-year-old added the ‘Dark Opal’ basil that she had grown in our window over the winter.
• 1/2 cup butter
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 cup dairy sour cream
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/3 cup packed brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 cup finely chopped walnuts
• 1 cup fresh blueberries
• 1 teaspoon chopped fresh opal basil
1. In a large bowl, cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Stir in the eggs, vanilla and sour cream. Sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Add the flour mixture gradually to the butter mixture.
2. In a small bowl, combine the brown sugar, cinnamon and walnuts. Spread half the batter in a greased 13-by-9-by-2-inch baking pan. Cover evenly with the blueberries and basil. Sprinkle with half the brown sugar mixture. Spoon on the remaining batter and spread it carefully to cover the filling. Sprinkle the remaining brown sugar mixture over the top. Bake at 350°F for 35 minutes.
–Christine Henke Mueller, Racine, Wisconsin
