Although most people go somewhere with sun, sand, and drunk coeds for spring break my husband, Pete, and I decided to leave the sun and temperate weather of California behind and drive nine hours to rainy Portland to visit my beautiful sister, Melly. We've managed to sneak outside during breaks in rainstorms to take some muddy hikes through the forests around my sister's house.
With some rare scattered spots of sunshine this morning I decided I it would be nice to make the blueberry crumb cake for everyone. Being at my sister's house I had to adjust to a different kitchen. More than a few times I caught myself dreaming of my KitchenAid. Instead of using walnuts for the topping I decided to use pecans since I have an abundance left over from Thanksgiving.
I bought a tub of blueberries at Costco last week and packed the remainder in tupperware so they could travel with me to Portland. There is nothing better than fresh blueberries. The frozen ones just don't have the same juicy deliciousness as the fresh ones.
Portland is not only the home of my most favorite sister, but it also has a Penzey Spices. This store carries every kind of spice you can think of. I wandered around the store gazing at all the pretty jars full of goodness and decided I had to have the vanilla extract.
The cake was easy to make, but it took me forever due to the fact that trying to find measuring cups was like going on a scavenger hunt with only half a map. I was digging through random drawers trying to find the measuring cups I needed only to learn that the specific one I was looking for had found a new home in the dog food bag. (And no, I didn't use it.) I was also distracted by the dogs endless playing in the living room.
The batter was thick and creamy. I added more flour to the blueberries than called for in hopes of preventing them from sinking to the bottom. Although Dorie recommends Pyrex for this recipe I made do with an old passed down pan. It did the job.
I baked the cake for 55 minutes and it came out perfect. The house was filled with its wonderful smell, making the gloom outside lighten.
The crumb cake looked as good as it tasted. The blueberries were super juicy and popped in my mouth. The topping was crunchy and delicious. Next time I might chop the nuts less so I get more crunch. Otherwise this cake was great and easy.
Melly's house is tiny. It is only 900 square feet and lacks the most important convenience...a dishwasher. So here is a picture of the total mess I made and then had to hand wash.
Through my entire morning of slaving away in the kitchen and cleaning endless pots and pans, the dogs went round for round in the living room. Here are the cutest dogs in the world playing while I was baking.
The pup on the left is my Willa and the other pup is Lucy. Seriously, cutest dogs ever. If the above enticed you to try this cake you can find the recipe here or here. You can also read about other bakers' adventures at Tuesdays with Dorie.
Okkervil River was my baking soundtrack:
Your crumb topping looks wonderful.
ReplyDeleteNice job, dearie. Did the pups get to sample?
ReplyDeleteLots of dishes for lots of yummy goodness. Sounds like a fair trade to me. YOurs looks great, and moist, and juicy.
ReplyDelete