Cafe Beaujolais Coffee Cake

If you know me, then you know that I absolutely love coffee cake. It's the perfect morning pick-me-up and it is fantastic with a piping hot cup of coffee or hot cocoa. I have about 15 different coffee cake recipes in my repertoire and the Cafe Beaujolais Coffee Cake was something I've been wanting to make for a while. Cafe Beaujolais is a quaint restaurant in Mendocino, California with a reputation of having one of the best coffee cakes around. I've never been to Medocino or tried anything off the Cafe Beaujolais menu...but if the other items on their menu are as good as this coffee cake...then it's at the very top of my "Places to Eat" list for California!!

Cafe Beaujolais Coffee Cake 

(Source: LA Times)

2 1/4 cups flour

1 cup brown sugar, packed

3/4 cup granulated sugar

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon ground ginger

3/4 cup canola oil

1 cup sliced almonds   ( I used chopped walnuts)

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 egg

1 cup buttermilk

Mix flour, brown sugar, granulated sugar, 1 teaspoon cinnamon, salt and ginger. Blend in oil until smooth. Remove 3/4 cup mixture and combine with almonds and remaining 1 teaspoon cinnamon. Mix and set aside.To remaining flour mixture, add baking powder, baking soda, egg and buttermilk. Blend until smooth. Pour into buttered 13x9-inch baking pan. Sprinkle reserved nut mixture evenly over surface of batter. Bake at 350 degrees 35 to 40 minutes. Place pan on wire rack to cool. Cut into squares to serve. Makes 8 to 12 servings.

Berry Bars

I've been an avid LA Times Food reader even though I'm all the way in Chicago. I especially like the Culinary SOS section since it posts restaurant recipes about once a week. I saw this recipe for Berry Bars from the House of Bread Bakery last year and put it on my "must try" list. I finally got around to baking these wonderful bars, and they're absolutely divine! It's perfect for a morning pick-me-up along with a cup of coffee. Plus, it's soooooo simple to bake!

Berry Bars 

(Source: LA Times Culinary SOS)

3 cups (12.75 ounces) flour

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened

1 3/4 cups sugar

4 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

16 ounces berry jam **

Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease an 11-by-7-inch baking pan. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside. In the bowl of a stand mixer using the paddle attachment, or in a large bowl using a hand mixer, cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, 3 to 5 minutes. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, then the vanilla. Slowly beat in the flour mixture. Spread three-fourths of the batter into the pan, spreading the batter a little thinner in the center of the pan. Spoon the jam on top. Spoon the remaining batter over the jam in random dollops so the jam can still be seen. Bake the bars until golden-brown on top and firm to the touch, about 40 minutes, rotating halfway through for even baking. Cool completely on a rack before slicing.

**I used berry preserves 

Lemon Blueberry Bread with Crumble Topping

If someone asked me if there is a flavor combination that represents Spring, then I most definitely pick Lemon/Blueberry. I've always had flavors for each season (ex: Lemon/Blueberry = Spring, Strawberries = Summer, Pumpkin/Apple = Fall, and Peppermint = Winter). Is it just me that does that??

Anyhow, on to the glorious Blueberry Bread...I made this Lemon Blueberry bread for my boyfriend so he can eat it for breakfast, at work, etc. He is in his last year of medical school and busy working at the hospital (future McDreamy?! Yes!). I wanted to make something he can bring to work and snack on during his day. It's not heavy like a pound cake but it's filling enough to satisfy hunger for a few hours until he finds time to grab a bigger meal. 

This Lemon Blueberry Bread is very light and has the perfect amount of blueberries. It's so light it's like eating blueberries on a cloud! The lemon also brings the perfect about of zing to give this bread the extra kick. As for the crumble topping?!?! It's goooood! It gives the bread some texture and who doesn't love a crumble topping?!?! I love eeeeverything with crumble toppings :o) The batter for this recipe is also very versatile so feel free to play around with the filling (ex: raspberry/lemon, strawberry/banana, etc) the possibilities are endless! This recipe makes a lot! So be prepared to have 2 loaves of blueberry bread :o) 

Lemon Blueberry Bread with Crumble Topping 

(LA Times) 

1 cup (2 sticks) butter, melted, plus additional butter for greasing two loaf pans

1 1/2 cups blueberries (or 2 - 3 cups if you like more blueberries)

3 1/2 cups flour, divided

4 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

2 cups sugar

4 large eggs

1 cup milk

2 teaspoons vanilla

1 lemon, zested

Juice of half a lemon

Crumble Topping:

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1/2 cup all purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

4 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened

To make the crumble topping:

In a bowl, combine the sugar, flour, cinnamon, and butter, and mix until it resembles coarse crumbs. Set aside.

To make the bread:

Heat the oven to 375 degrees and grease each of two (8-inch) loaf pans with butter. Line the bottom of each pan with parchment paper, and grease the top of the parchment paper with butter. Wash the blueberries and drain. Lightly dry with a paper towel and place in a small bowl. Toss the berries with 2 tablespoons of the flour to coat. Set aside. Place the remaining flour into a large mixing bowl and whisk in the baking powder, salt, baking soda and sugar. Set aside. In a medium bowl, whisk the eggs, then whisk in the milk, vanilla, lemon zest, and lemon juice. Finally, whisk in the 1 cup of melted butter. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients, and pour in the liquid ingredients. Stir the ingredients together lightly just to combine; do not overmix the batter. Lastly, gently fold in the berries. Fill the loaf pans evenly; they should be just over half full. Sprinkle the crumble topping evenly over the two loaves. Place the pans in the oven and bake until done, about 50 minutes. Check the bread every 10 minutes after 30 minutes; if it begins to color too quickly, tent it lightly with aluminum foil.