Blueberry Crumb Cake

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I felt like some homemade baking yesterday morning and I was at home studying anyway, so I decided to throw this together with what I had in the fridge and some frozen blueberries. Super easy to prepare, takes a while in the oven but totally worth it.

INGREDIENTS
Cake:
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
10 tablespoons (1 1/4 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature, plus more for pan
1 cup granulated sugar
3 large eggs
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 1/4 cups sour cream
2 cups blueberries


Crumb Topping:
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon coarse salt
1/2 cup packed light-brown sugar
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature

DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Into a medium bowl, sift together flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Butter a 9-inch square baking pan.

Prepare crumb topping. In a medium bowl, combine cinnamon, salt, sugar, and flour. Cut in the butter using your hands, two knives, or a pastry blender until well combined and crumbly.


In the bowl of electric mixer, cream butter and granulated sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, until well combined. Add vanilla, and beat until combined. Add reserved flour mixture and the sour cream, and beat just until well combined. Fold in blueberries. Spoon batter into prepared pan. Sprinkle crumb topping over cake. Bake until golden brown until toothpick comes out clean, 50 to 60 minutes. If it needs longer, add some foil to the top and continue to bake for 5 or 10 minutes.

Blueberry Muffins (Wheat-Free)

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Okay so part of my philosophy over why I'm losing weight by eating wheat-free is that I'm generally not trying to replace the foods I was eating before... However, this weekend we were at a wedding and there were all these delicious things that I couldn't eat and I was starving because I didn't eat my snacks when I should have. Anyways, I love to bake, it always makes me feel better so I've decided to attempt some wheat-free blueberry muffins and hopefully kill some cravings at the same time. I'd also like to continue eating this way for the most part after the Diet Bet is over so I'm going to have to find some new ways to enjoy things I love and that's going to involve a lot of experimenting in the kitchen... today I'm using almond meal/flour!

This recipe is from "Everyday Grain-Free Gourmet" by Jodi Bager and Jenny Lass, it is not only wheat-free but also free of refined sugars.

I bought this cookbook during my last round of eating wheat-free a few years ago but I didn't use it much then as I was sort of set in my ways and made the same things all the time, this time I'm doing my best to add variety to keep things interesting. They refer to these as "Muffin Mix Muffins" and have the option of using any fruit you would like. Supposedly the recipe makes 12 muffins, I only got 6 out of it which incidentally works better for me as that's more than I need.

INGREDIENTS
2 1/2 cups of finely ground almond flour/meal
1/2 tsp baking soda
scant 1/2 tsp salt
1/4 cup honey
1 Tbsp pure vanilla extract
3 large eggs
1 cup fresh or frozen berries/chopped fruit (I used blueberries)

DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 300 degrees F and line a muffin tin with baking cups

Mix almond flour, baking soda, and salt in a bowl.

Add honey, vanilla, and eggs to the flour mixture and whisk together until thoroughly combined and smooth.

Add the fruit and mix well.

Spoon batter into prepared muffin tin and bake until the muffins start to lightly brown and a knife comes out clean when inserted, about 25 to 30 minutes.

As far as wheat-free baked goods go these were pretty good. I find often that baked goods that use something other than conventional types of flour have a tendency to be dense and lack flavor. These were flavorful and although the texture was different than a muffin made with wheat flour they were still tasty and definitely curbed my cravings.

Blueberry Cheesecake Supreme

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Love this recipe! I will be the first to admit I am not expert when it comes to cheesecake but I made this at New Years and it was so delicious so when we had company this week it was my first choice for dessert. My brother in law actually told me about this great trick that if you turn off the oven a little early (about 5 minutes for me) and leave the cheesecake in the oven till it's completely cooled before transferring to the fridge it won't have any cracks. I did this at New Years and it worked out great, this time however I left the oven on just a little bit too long, it still tasted great just didn't look as pretty.

INGREDIENTS 
Cheesecake:
1 1/2 cups finely crushed graham crackers 
1/4 cup finely chopped walnuts
1 tablespoon sugar  
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon (optional)
1/2 cup butter, melted  
3 8 ounce package cream cheese, softened
1 cup sugar  
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon vanilla  
1/4 cup milk
3 eggs, slightly beaten  
1/2 teaspoon finely shredded lemon peel (optional)
Sauce:
2 cups bluberries fresh or frozen
1/4 cup sugar
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 tablespoon corn starch 

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. For crust, in a bowl combine crushed graham crackers, walnuts, the 1 tablespoon sugar, and, if desired, the cinnamon. Stir in melted butter. Press the crumb mixture onto the bottom and about 2 inches up the sides of an 8- or 9-inch spring form pan; set aside.

2. For filling, in a large mixing bowl beat cream cheese, the 1 cup sugar, the flour, and vanilla with an electric mixer until combined. Beat in milk until smooth. Stir in eggs and, if desired, lemon peel.

3. Pour filling into crust-lined pan. Place the pan in a shallow baking pan. Bake for 40 to 45 minutes for the 8-inch pan, 35 to 40 minutes for the 9-inch pan, or until a 2-1/2-inch area around the outside edge appears set when gently shaken.

4. Cool in pan on a wire rack for 15 minutes. Using a small sharp knife, loosen the crust from sides of pan; cool for 30 minutes. Remove the sides of the pan; cool cheesecake completely on rack. Cover and chill at least 4 hours before serving. Makes 12 slices.

5. To make the sauce: In a medium saucepan, combine blueberries with sugar and fresh lemon juice. Bring to a boil; add corn starch, reduce to a simmer, and cook until most of the berries have burst, 8 to 10 minutes.

This recipe is also great with some whipped cream on top!

Blueberry Streusel Muffins

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I hereby proclaim March to be "Muffin Month" meaning that most of the recipes for this month will be muffins! For today, I made Blueberry Streusel Muffins, why all the blueberry recipes you might ask? I had a whole bunch of frozen blueberries in the freezer, I think this was finally the last of them.

INGREDIENTS
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/3 cup sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 egg, beaten
3/4 cup milk
1/4 cup cooking oil
3/4 cup fresh or frozen blueberries
1 recipe Streusel Topping (see below) - this is optional

DIRECTIONS
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Grease twelve 2 1/2 inch muffin cups or line with paper cups; set aside. In a medium bowl combine flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Make a well in center of flour mixture; set aside.

2. In another bowl combine egg, milk, and oil. Add egg mixture all at once to flour mixture. Stir just until moistened (batter should be lumpy). Gently fold in blueberries.

3. Spoon batter into prepared muffin cups, filling each two-thirds full. If desired, sprinkle streuesel topping over muffin batter in cups (see below). Bake 18 to 20 minutes or until golden and a wooden toothpick inserted in centers comes out clean. cool in muffin cups on a wire rack for 5 minutes. Remove from cups; serve warm.

Optional Streusel Topping: In a small bowl stir together 3 tablespoons of all-purpose flour, 3 tablespoons of packed brown sugar, and 1/4 teaspoon of ground cinnamon. Cut in 2 tablespoons of butter until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs.

Upcoming Recipes:

Cheese Muffins

Crumb Cake Muffins

Healthy Morning Muffins

Zucchini Banana and Flax Seed Muffins

Do you have any favorite muffin recipes? What muffins would you like to see for the month of March? Post in the comments below: