Blueberry Coffee Cake

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Currently compensating for all my failings as a PhD student by eating my way around London and bribing my entire department with baked goods. Still unsure if I want to be Nigella or marry her. Definitely want to live in a gingerbread house. Think Beetroot is an abomination.

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Blueberry Coffee Cake

So I know I have made one of these before, but frankly I think this one is even better and you can never have too many cake recipes. This was the result of a frantic week in which I realised that my thesis could really do with some more sociology, but sadly I know nothing about it (if any sociology graduates are reading this: HELP ME!). So after several frustrating days in the library during which I found out that apparently librarians frown upon you ruining their pristine books with your unclean tears, I still know nothing whatsoever about current debates on human agency, but gave up and decided to make cake.

The recipe looks slightly long because you are kind of making three different things, but it is actually pretty easy and only took about 20 mins to prepare. You can make it even easier by using jam instead of making your own filling. I won’t judge you, but I would recommend using something with a relatively low sugar content or the whole thing will get a bit sickly.

For the berry filling:

200g/7oz frozen or fresh berries (I used blueberries)

50ml water

50g/2oz caster sugar

1 tbsp cornflour

For the dough:

6 tbsp milk

1 packet fast action/bread maker yeast (should be about 6g)

200g flour

80g sugar

1 egg yolk

1 pinch of salt

50g soft butter

For the topping:

100g butter at room temperature

150g plain flour

100g sugar (I used 50g dark sugar and 50g standard white sugar but it is really up to you)

1. Start by making your berry jam. Add your berries, water and sugar to a small saucepan and bring to a boil. Turn the heat down to low-medium and simmer for 2 mins. Put your cornflour in a teacup/mug/whatever small container you have to hand, then add 1-2 spoons of your jam and stir until well combined.

2. Stir the cornflour mix into the rest of your jam and stir until everything is well combined. Turn off the heat and leave to thicken, stirring occasionally.

3. Line a 24cm round baking tin with parchment paper and butter/oil the sides.

4. Warm half your milk in the microwave. I burnt mine horrifically the first time around so keep an eye on the microwave. It should only take 10s or so. Check that your milk is lukewarm rather than boiling, then stir in the yeast and set aside.

5. In a large mixing bowl combine all your dough ingredients as well as the milk/yeast mix, the order is pretty irrelevant. It helps if you cut the butter up with a knife. You may have to knead it a few times with your hands so it all comes together.

6. Transfer the dough into the tin you prepared earlier and spread it out thinly along the bottom and about 1inch up the side. Cover with a tea towel and leave to rest for 30 mins.

7. In the meantime add your topping ingredients into the same mixing bowl you used earlier (saves on the washing up) and, using your fingertips, rub them together until you end up with something the size of large breadcrumbs.

8. Pre-heat your oven to 180C. Spread the berry jam over the base of your cake, then sprinkle with the topping. Bake for 25 mins until the topping is light golden brown.