Blueberry Almond Coffee Cake

A couple of weekends ago Caleb and I completed another thing off of our summer bucket list - we went berry picking!  We went to a berry farm where they have blueberries, blackberries, and raspberries.  We intended to pick all three, but because it was early in the raspberry season and some greedy woman had gotten there before us and picked the raspberry bushes clean (seriously, I saw her lugging her huge hoard of raspberries around), we came home with just blackberries and blueberries. I let the blueberries sit at room temperature for 24 hours to finish ripening (as instructed by the berry farm people), but after that I couldn't wait to bake with them!

{fresh blueberry almond coffee cake}

Blueberry Almond Coffee Cake
2 cups flour
2 tsp baking powder
3/4 tsp salt
1 stick unsalted butter, softened
1 1/4 cups plus 3 Tbsp sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup milk
2 1/2 cups blueberries
1/2 large egg white*
1 cup sliced almonds

Sift together flour, baking powder, and salt into a bowl.  Combine butter and 1 1/4 cups sugar in a large bowl and beat with an electric mixer at medium-high speed until pale and fluffy, about 3 minutes.  Beat in whole eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition, then beat in vanilla. Reduce speed to low and add flour mixture and milk alternately in batches, beginning and ending with flour mixture, and mixing until just incorporated.  Fold in blueberries.  Spoon batter into buttered 2-2 1/2 quart baking dish and spread evenly.

*To measure the half egg white, lightly beat an egg white with a fork in a measuring cup, then pour out half of it.

In a small bowl, combine egg white, remaining 3 Tbsp sugar, and almonds, stirring to coat almonds.  Spoon almond topping over batter.

Bake at 350 degrees until golden brown and a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean, 50 minutes to 1 hour.  Cool in pan on a rack.  Serve warm or at room temperature.

source:  recipe from The Gourmet Cookbook