Blackberry Lemon Coffee Cake: When life gives you sour cream, make coffee cake

I actually try very hard to use up every single ingredient in my refrigerator. I hate wasting anything. Mom comes and will try and throw things away and I won't let her, because I'm determined to use everything. I had bought a few weeks back, one of those scary large tubs of sour cream from Costco, because I was going on a baking spree of cakes which all happened to require sour cream. I thought I had used it all, so bought another one in anticipation of some baking this week, only to discover on Sunday night the OTHER tub. It irked me so that I had two tubs of very large sour cream in my fridge and so I started pacing. I paced back and forth and opened the fridge to confirm that the second tub was indeed there and then closed the fridge and paced some more. I made my way to the garage refrigerator and discovered some blackberries which I had intended to feed Children, but hadn't so then realized I would be making a coffee cake.

A blackberry coffee cake. Only to discover a lemon that needed to be used. Ah... a lemon blackberry coffee cake.

I made one using, as a springboard, a coffee cake recipe I had and tweaking it. It came out pretty good, but I was disappointed in the lack of lemon flavor. I had used some brown sugar in the recipe and it seemed to block out the bright lemony zing I was looking for. I packed up my experiment and sent it off to Daughter #2's school where the staff at the PJCC enjoyed it and I even got a thank you note. I was determined to make it better (and finish off the blackberries and start on the NEW tub of sour cream) so I set out to make another one. This one was much better. This one was delicious. This one I couldn't stop Daughter #1 from eating. She said, "It's the only cake you can eat for breakfast mom." Ummm...not really, honey, but you can have a single piece.

Blackberry Lemon Coffee Cake
Serves 10-12

Cake
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons double-acting baking powder
1 cup sour cream
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter, softened
1 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Zest of one lemon
1 1/2 cups fresh blackberries (my feeling is that blueberries would work also really well)

Topping 1/4 cup (1/2 a stick) butter melted
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup sugar

Butter a 9X13 pan. Preheat oven to 350. In a bowl whisk together the flour, the baking powder, and a pinch of salt and in another bowl stir together the sour cream and the baking soda.

In a large bowl cream together the butter and 1 cup of the granulated sugar until the mixture is light and fluffy, add the eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition, and beat in the vanilla and lemon zest. Stir in the flour mixture alternately with the sour cream mixture and stir the batter until it is combined well.

Pour the batter into a buttered 9 X 13 cake pan. Sprinkle blackberries evenly on top.

In a small bowl stir together melted butter, flour and sugar until it is sort of dough like and stuck together.

Crumble topping mixture all over cake

Bake the cake in the middle of a preheated 350°F. oven for 35 to 45 minutes, or until a tester comes out clean. Transfer it to a rack, and let it cool. Serve warm or room temperature. (This is best the day of baking.)

Printable recipe