Berries for the Brain

Every now and again my Mother will mention a fruit or some other food that she heard was so good for you, and that she bought some so she would be sure to get the benefits the food is known to possess. The funny thing is that usually it’s something she knows she doesn’t like but she is willing to force herself to eat it because it’s SOOOO good for her... blueberries are one of those foods.

All those wonderfully smart scientists who conduct their thorough tests and give us the nutritional breakdown of the foods we eat have provided enough praise for the little blue berry that it tops most nutritionists lists for “you, really should be eating these”. Known for their polyphenols to fend off memory deterioration as we age as well as many other benefits from compounds like anthocyanin that are antioxidant and anti-inflammatory are just a few reasons why there should be one of those tiny cartons of berries in every shopping basket you take to the cashier.

I’ll admit that I am a fan of the super-berries and love throwing a few into a morning bowl of oatmeal or afternoon yogurt snack and they are sure to find their way into my baking that I happily share with my Mother–which to her dismay she likes even though it’s popping with blueberries.

Blueberry Poppy-Seed Coffee Cake

• 1 1/2 cups Whole Wheat Pastry Flour
• 1/2 cup Sugar
• 1 teaspoon Baking Powder
• 1/2 teaspoon Baking Soda
• 1/4 teaspoon Salt
• 1 teaspoon Cinnamon
• 1/4 cup butter, cold and cut into pieces
• 1 Tablespoon Poppy Seeds
• 3/4 cup low-fat Buttermilk
• 1 Egg
• 1 teaspoon Vanilla
• 1 teaspoon Lemon Zest
• 1 cup fresh Blueberries

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray a 9-inch round cake pan with cooking spray and line with parchment paper.
2. Combine flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cinnamon in large bowl. Cut in butter, using a pastry blender until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Stir in poppy seeds.
3. Combine buttermilk, egg, vanilla and lemon zest in small bowl until blended.
4. Stir buttermilk mixture into flour mixture just until blended.
5. Spread half of the batter into prepared pan; top with blueberries.
6. Drop remaining batter in 8 dollops onto blueberries, leaving some berries uncovered. Bake about 35 minutes or until golden brown.
7. Cool 15 minutes in pan on wire rack. Remove coffeecake from pan. Remove paper from bottom of cake. Serve warm.

Berry Coffee Cake with Crumb Topping

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I’m a FAN of tasty pastry with my morning cappuccino. It doesn’t need to be a sticky sweet, gooey donut (not that I don’t crave that from time to time too); but a flavorful spicy, crumb cake is perfect with a rich creamy strong cup of coffee. 

A few years ago, in an attempt to make my morning treat a touch healthier, I started incorporating whole wheat flour into my pastry baking. It was a simple step with no noticeable taste difference and a nod to the much touted whole grain movement. 

My Berry Coffee Cake with Crumb Topping can be made with any type of berry you can gets your hands on which makes it a go-to any time of the year. It’s wonderfully summery with fresh raspberries or makes a cozy, holiday treat when tossing in re-plumped, dried cranberries around Christmas time.

Berry Coffee Cake with Crumb Topping

Crumb Topping~

½ cup Whole Wheat Flour

¼ cup Sugar

½ teaspoon Cinnamon

2 Tablespoons Unsalted Butter

Cake~

1 Egg

1 cup Milk

¼ cup Unsalted Butter, melted

½ cup Sugar

2½ teaspoons Baking Powder

½ teaspoon Salt

½ teaspoon Ground Mace (optional)

1 cup All-Purpose Flour

1 cup Whole Wheat Flour

1 cup Fresh, Frozen or Re-plumped Dried Berries

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 9-inch springform cake pan with cooking spray.

To make topping, in a small bowl, combine flour, sugar, and cinnamon. Blend in the butter, using fingertips or a pastry blender, until the mixture is crumbly, set aside.

To make the cake, in a large bowl, beat together the egg, milk and butter. Add the sugar, baking powder, salt and mace; blend well. Gradually add the flours in two batches, beat until just blended. Gently fold in the berries.

Spread the batter in the prepared pan and sprinkle with the crumb topping. Bake until a wood toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, 40-45 minutes.

For flavor variation use any type of berry; blueberries, raspberries or dried cranberries with the zest and juice of one orange (blood orange when in season). 

To re-plump dried berries: warm a small bowl of water in the microwave for 1-2 minutes, remove from the microwave and toss in the measured amount of dried berries. Allow the berries to sit for about 5 minutes and drain.