Ina's Blueberry Crumb Cake

I was going through some old recipes that I had saved and I came across this one, twice, from two different blogs, and both said that this was the best crumb cake they have ever had.  I, myself, have not made many of Ina Garten's recipes.  As a matter of fact, the only one I can think of are these Coconut Cupcakes, which I absolutely loved.  I am always hearing people rave about Ina's recipes and so far, two out of two for me have been delicious.

As I was adding the crumb topping, I was thinking it seemed like a ton and I should have only made 1/2, but once it was baked and I tasted it, I thought the crumb topping was perfect.  It is a little messy to eat, but it sure tastes good.  As you can see, all of my blueberries sunk to the bottom, which I ended up liking better, because I felt like it was more of a blueberry sauce layer and that I wasn't biting into blueberries (which I hate). I think it tastes even better the second day.  It stays fresh for a long time and it just keeps getting more moist, but the top stays crunchy.

I topped my first few pieces with a vanilla glaze, but it really didn't need it.  This was the first crumb cake I have ever had and I thought it was delicious.

I am convinced that I need to try out more of Ina's recipes.  Do you guys have any favorites of hers?    

Ina's Blueberry Crumb Cake

adapted from: Ina Garten

(Printable Recipe) or (Printable with Picture)

Streusel Topping

1/4 c. sugar

1/3 c. light brown sugar, lightly packed

1 tsp. ground cinnamon

1/8 tsp. ground nutmeg

1 stick (8 Tbl.) unsalted butter, melted

1 1/3 c. all-purpose flour

Cake

6 Tbl. unsalted butter, room temperature

3/4 c. sugar

2 large eggs, room temperature

1 tsp. pure vanilla extract

1 tsp. grated lemon zest

2/3 c. sour cream

1 1/4 c. all-purpose flour

1 tsp. baking powder

1/4 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. kosher salt

1 c. fresh blueberries

powdered sugar, for sprinkling

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Butter and flour an 8x8 baking dish.  For the streusel: Combine the sugar, brown sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg in a bowl.  Stir in the melted butter and then the flour.  Mix well and set aside.  For the cake: Cream the butter and sugar together in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment on high speed for 4-5 minutes, until light (I only whipped mine for a few minutes until it was fluffy).  Reduce the speed to low and add the eggs, one at a time, then add the vanilla, lemon zest and sour cream.  In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.  With the mixer on low speed, add the flour mixture to the batter until just combined.  Fold in the blueberries and stir with a spatula to be sure the batter is completely mixed.  Spoon the batter into the prepared pan and spread it out evenly.  With your fingers, crumble the streusel topping evenly over the batter.  Bake for 40-50 minutes (Mine took 55 minutes) or until a cake tester comes out clean.  Cool completely and serve sprinkled with powdered sugar.  Yield: 9 servings  

Jenn's Notes: I used light sour cream and I used frozen blueberries (which is maybe why they sunk).  If you are going to use frozen berries, make sure to stir them into the batter while they are still frozen or else you will end up with a purple batter.  I baked mine for 55 minutes and it was perfect.