Spring is in the air! I love it when the sun finally starts to feel warm and your jeans start to stick to your legs. It is the time of year when anything but winter sounds and feels amazing. To make things even better for this year’s spring season, Calgary’s first Menchie’s opened up today! Menchies is a frozen yogurt joint that I frequented with good friends when I was living in Seattle. I often got deals from the staff because I went so much! You can serve yourself however much yogurt you want and then add your own toppings, including blueberries! Thinking about blueberries brings me to my second point of why I love spring so much…blueberry coffee cake! This blueberry coffee cake is so moist and so delicious that you will enjoy spring, even the cold days, that much better! So go and bake away!

Makes one 9-inch blueberry coffee cake that serves 8 people.

Ingredients:

Crunchy Walnut Topping:

½ cup              Walnuts or pecans, chopped
¼ cup              Packed brown sugar
2 tbsp               All purpose flour
1 tsp                  Cinnamon
2 tbsp               Butter, melted

Cake:

½ cup               Butter, softened
2/3 cup            Granulated sugar
1                          Large egg
1 tsp                  Pure vanilla extract
½ cup              Low fat sour cream
1 cup                Whole wheat flour
¾ cup              All purpose flour
2 tsp                 Baking powder
½ tsp               Baking soda
1 cup                Fresh or frozen blueberries or raspberries

Method:

• Preheat the oven to 350 C and line a 9-inch springform pan with parchment paper. Set aside.

For the topping:

• Put the walnut pieces in a bowl and sprinkle them with brown sugar, flour, and cinnamon. Toss with a fork to combine.
• Drizzle the melted butter over the mixture and toss again. Set aside.

For the cake:

• In a mixer, cream the butter and the granulated sugar together until fluffy, about 2 minutes.
• Beat in the egg and vanilla.
• Add the sour cream and beat until incorporated.
• In a separate large bowl, whisk together the whole wheat flour, all purpose flour, baking powder, and baking soda together. Add this to the butter mixture and beat until combined.
• Pour the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top. Sprinkle evenly with the berries and then with the topping.
• Bake for 55-60 minutes or until the cake is risen, golden in colour, and no longer jiggles when you shake the pan. Transfer the pan to a wire rack for 15 minutes and then unlatch the sides of the springform pan and let cool completely, about 1.5-2 hours before slicing.
• Enjoy!