Blueberry Crumb Cake

I still had two left over containers of blueberries after the muffins so I was looking for something else to make with blueberries.

I was laying in bed day dreaming about what I could make.  And then I had a brilliant idea - I'd make mini blueberry pies.  A couple of weeks ago (did I totally forget to write about this I can't remember) I went thrift store shopping with my mom and aunt.  I ended up picking up these adorable little dishes from Crate and Barrel.  There are like mini pie or souffle dishes? (Like the small on here but in red) So in my head I'm like yeah! They will be so adorable and I'll do a cool latice top on them and they are going to be so pretty and I can't wait.

At that point I thought I'd just use store bought pie crust... but then I started to get ambitious!  I googled around and looked at pie crust recipes and then had the brilliant idea that I could make the pie crust with the assistance of my KitchenAid mixer.  So I went to the store and picked up all the ingredients I needed to make the pie crust.

As soon as I got home and did the dishes I decided to try it out - I was excited!  But, things just didn't go as planned... the pie crust didn't come together like they said it out online or in the videos I watched.  I waited for my butter pieces to become pea-sized and that never happened!  My mom suspects that I didn't use cold enough butter - which very well might be the case.  I'm pretty sure I mixed it too long too... then I added too much water (when the dough came together it was really slimey and sticky) so I added more flour... ugh... just a mess.

I ended up getting it to what I felt like was ok, and I cut up the pieces and put them in the fridge to firm up... but after that I pretty much decided that was a waste of time.  I ended up pitching the dough and not even trying to make a pie because I was over it and just not feeling the greatest about it. 

I plan on trying to make pie crust again (dang it I'm going to get it right!) but might want to do it by hand with my pastry cutter or get a food processor or something... idk - stay tuned on that one...

But I still had all those blueberries and not really sure what the heck I should make...  So I googled around here and there... then I decided to google blueberry cake to see what would come up.  That's when blueberry crumb cake showed up in my search.  I had be wanting to make a crumb cake... hmm... so I jumped on board.

I looked at a few recipes but decided to go with this one from the Pioneer Woman.  The fact that I had looked at a few different recipes I got them mixed up in my mind and after I had already started this recipe I realized it made a full 9x13 pan.  Had I known that I probably would have cut the recipe in half... but atlast it was already mixed up so a 9x13 pan it is. 

I added the crystaly multicolored sugar to the top (although not as much as the recipe suggested)

Here's a piece all warm and delicious.  She recommends eating it with some butter... which I did try... I don't recommend you trying them, b/c as soon as you do you'll want to eat another piece... with butter... so good!

It was delicious.  I made this on Saturday night and by Tuesday it was gone (Dan and I both ate a fair amount but we also had a friend over that took a piece)

Here's the recipe  from Pioneer Woman with my notes in red.

Ingredients

• 1/2 stick Butter
• 1 Tablespoon (additional) Butter
• 3/4 cups Sugar
• 1 whole Egg
• 1/2 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
• 2 cups All-purpose Flour
• 2-1/4 teaspoons Baking Powder
• 1/2 teaspoon Salt
• 3/4 cups Whole Milk I didn't have whole milk, I didn't even have any kind of milk, so I just used water and still turned out delicious
• 2 cups Fresh Blueberries
• _____
• FOR THE TOPPING:
• 3/4 sticks Butter
• 1/2 cup Sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon Cinnamon
• 1/2 cup Flour
• 1/4 teaspoon Salt

Preparation Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Combine flour, baking powder, and a salt. Stir and set aside.  I know I should mix these things separate together and then combine to the wet ingredients, but I just don't do that messes up another bowl I have to wash by hand.
Cream 1/2 stick plus 1 tablespoon butter with cinnamon and sugar. Add egg and mix until combined. Add vanilla and mix. Add flour mixture and milk alternately until totally incorporated. Do not overbeat. Stir in blueberries until evenly distributed.
Grease a 9 x 13 inch baking pan. Pour in batter.
In a separate bowl, combine topping ingredients and cut together using two knives or a pastry cutter. Sprinkle over the top of the cake.
Bake cake for 40 to 45 minutes, or until golden brown. Sprinkle with sugar. Cut into squares and serve with softened butter.