This old-fashioned blueberry coffee cake comes with a darling name and story. In 1954, a 15-year-old girl from Chicago named Renny Powell submitted a blueberry coffee cake recipe to the Pillsbury $100,000 Recipe & Baking Contest (the precursor to today’s Pillsbury Bake-Off). Renny took second place in the junior division for her recipe, cleverly named “Boy Bait” for its habit-forming effect on young men. Tender, easy to make, and jam-packed with berries, boy bait has been popular ever since. My version is updated with lemon zest to complement the flavor of the blueberries and a crunchy cinnamon streusel topping. You certainly don’t need to be a teenage boy to enjoy it, but I can attest that this 14-year-old loves it — so maybe Renny was onto something 😉.
INGREDIENTS:
2 c. flour
1 c. sugar
1 c. milk
1/3 c. butter, softened
INGREDIENTS:
2 c. flour
1 c. sugar
1 c. milk
1/3 c. butter, softened
1 egg
1 T. baking powder
1 t. salt
1 ½ c. blueberries (I used frozen; thawed slightly)
How to make it
Beat all ingredients, except blueberries, in a large bowl on a low speed for 30 seconds. Then beat on medium speed for 2 minutes scraping the bowl occasionally.
Grease a 13×9 pan. Spread half the batter in the pan. Sprinkle blueberries over batter; then, top with remaining batter. Add Streusel Topping and bake at 350 degrees for 40 minutes. Cool 10 minutes in pan. Can be inverted onto a serving plate or left in pan. Drizzle with Glaze. Makes 16 servings.
Streusel Topping:
½ c. chopped walnuts or pecans
1/3 c. brown sugar, packed
¼ c. flour
½ t. cinnamon
1 T. butter, softened
Mix all ingredients together until crumbly. Sprinkle on top of cake.
Glaze:
1 c. powdered sugar
2 T. milk
¼ t. vanilla
Combine all ingredients; drizzle over top of cake.