Serviceberry Coffee Cake

 

READY TO EAT 1096 ed2

 

For the first time since it was planted five years ago, my Serviceberry (Amelanchier x grandiflora) in the garden was laden with small, maroon colored, blueberry-like fruit.  I thought “Wow, I’m gonna have a lot of berries to snack on this year”, alas, the robins and squirrels thought the same (Cedar Waxwings are also fond of the fruit), and were well on their way to clearing the fruit from this small tree.  I decided that if I had any hope of having some for my dinner table, I would need to pick them two or three days before they became fully ripe. The bowl of serviceberries below, shows the color when they were picked.  They are quite tasty even at this stage, but I let them sit at room temperature to more fully ripen to a blue-black color, like the fruit seen in the photo above, along side of the Serviceberry Coffee Cake.

 

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The cake is very tasty and quick and easy to make.  It is a nice seasonal treat with a side of ice cream and a cup of coffee.  To make your own, I’ve included the recipe below.  Click on the slideshow to see the process, step by step.

 

Serviceberry Coffee Cake

Based on Blueberry Brunch Cake found in “Noteworthy, A Collection of Recipes from the Ravinia Festival”, NOTEWORTHY Publications, 1986

4    tablespoons butter (softened)

¾   cup sugar

1    egg

2    cups flour

2    teaspoons baking powder

½   teaspoon salt

½   cup milk

2    cups serviceberries

Topping

¼     cup sugar

¼     cup brown sugar

¼     teaspoon cinnamon

¼     teaspoon nutmeg

4      tablespoons butter (chilled)

½     cup English walnuts (coarsely chopped)

Preheat oven to 350°

Cream together butter and sugar. Beat in egg. In separate bowl, sift (wisk) together flour, baking powder, and salt. Add dry mixture to creamed mixture alternately with milk. Fold serviceberries into stiff batter.  Pour batter into greased and floured 8-inch square pan.  Use spatula to even out batter.

Combine sugar, flour, and cinnamon.  Add butter into mixture, cut into small pieces.  Blend by pinching together mixture with fingers until coarse crumbs are formed.  Sprinkle crumb mixture over batter in pan, then top with chopped walnuts.  Bake in 350° oven for 45 minutes.  Let cake cool in pan for 20 minutes before removing cake from pan.  Note, batter will rise by double as it bakes.  Very good with a garnish of fresh fruit and vanilla ice cream.

2011 Apr

Spring blooms

2011 oct

Fall color

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