Grandma Jacobs Blueberry Coffee Cake

Growing up my favorite part of summer was “Grandma Camp.”  Grandma Jacobs would have all of us grandkids up for a few days of fun and games.  Really it meant that she would do anything we wanted.  We would go mini-golfing, play Phase 10 or Rich Man Poor Man, and watch movies.  One of my all time favorite memories was the summer we got Grandma to take us on an adventure to see where the creek ends.  This included crawling through tunnels, water snakes and Grandma wading through water right along with us.  Now that I think back to it, I’m surprised she put up with us… but she was a good sport.  On those weekends one of my favorite treats she would make for us was her Blueberry Coffee Cake.

This past weekend Adam and I went blueberry picking out on John’s Island, so of course my kitchen has smelled of blueberry goodness ever since.  But today, I decided to use my Grandma’s recipe.  She has been gone for 12 years and just one whiff of these bars takes me back to her kitchen and eating piece after piece of this coffee cake.  So in honor of Grandma I share this recipe with all of you.

The reason I love this recipe is because of the bursts of blueberry in every bite, the moist cake and the streusel topping.  I did make some changes to her amazing recipe in an attempt to be “healthy.”  I exchanged the margarine for butter and instead of using all white flour, I halved it with whole wheat flour which I feel like didn’t hurt the recipe one bit.  Even though Grandma isn’t here to teach me all of her baking tricks, I carry her recipes with me always. 

I was blessed with two Grandma's who bake. Up next: Grandma Huissen's Almond Bars.

Blueberry Coffee Cake and Iced Tea on a hot summers day!

Grandma’s Blueberry Coffee Cake

(makes 24 coffee cake squares)

Coffee Cake:

1 cup sugar

½ cup butter

1 egg

1 cup milk

1 ¼ cup all purpose flour

1 cup whole wheat flour

3 tsp baking powder

½ tsp salt

2 cups fresh blueberries (you can use frozen blueberries as well)

Streusel:

½ cup sugar

2/3 cup flour

1 tsp cinnamon

½ cup cold butter cut into pieces

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

I prepared the streusel first so once the blueberries are mixed into the batter they don’t have the chance to sink to the bottom (a trick my Aunt Mary taught me).  So to start, using a mixer, beat the sugar, flour, cinnamon and butter until it becomes crumbly.  In an effort to keep it from becoming too soft I put in the fridge while I prepared the cake.  Next, in a large mixing bowl, cream together the sugar and butter.  Add the egg and milk, mixing until blended but not smooth.  In a separate bowl combine the flour, baking powder and salt.  Then beat the flour mixture with the butter mixture.  Fold the blueberries into the batter and pour into a greased 9 x 13 pan.  Sprinkle the top of the cake with the streusel and bake for 45 to 50 minutes. 

Tip:  If wanting to use a 9x9 pan, use 2/3’s of the ingredients and bake for 10 minutes less.  

Grandma Jacobs