SUMMER IN JERSEY - BLUEBERRIES - BLUEBERRY CREAM CHEESE COFFEECAKE

When I was a little girl, my mother would make tea and toast for my siblings and me for breakfast. Today, that doesn't sound like a healthy breakfast. But back then, there were a lot of kids who ate similar breakfasts, and we just loved our tea and toast. When I was just four or five years old, during the warm months, I would take my breakfast outside to sit on the step, or on the swings. But my favorite thing to do was to visit the horses that were in back of our property. I just loved going out there in the early morning hours and seeing those beautiful animals. There is something so serene and so relaxing about watching horses graze. 

Actual house I lived in with horses in the back in Monroeville, NJ

Our neighbors barn across the street in Monroeville, NJ

Speaking of horses, did you know that New Jersey's state animal is the horse? As a matter of fact, our newest Governor, Governor Phil Murphy, has declared June the month of the horse in New Jersey. That stands to reason, considering there are 96,000 acres solely devoted to the equine industry in our state. We also boast approximately 42,500 horses. We also have many top equine facilities, events, and centers. In addition, the United States Equestrian Team is head quartered in Gladstone. An interesting fact, is that we have more horses per square mile than any other state! And because the horse is our state's animal, it is included in our state seal. The founding fathers of our state, thought very highly of the animal, so included a picture in our state seal. 

There are so many beautiful horse farms in our state, and many farms that offer horseback riding and lessons.

Well, now back to my story. When I outgrew my tea and toast breakfasts, special times spent with my mom were going for coffee and pastries in the mornings at our local diner. I was a young teen then, and that was always an enjoyable time for me, as it was time I spent with my mom, just her and I. Our outings included coffee, (yes, I outgrew tea, and moved on to coffee, I loved it 😃) and lots of different pastries, coffee cake (my favorite), danish, and muffins. I told this story, because whenever I make this blueberry coffee cake, those memories come flooding back. These days, I no longer have coffee cake or danish for breakfast, my breakfast usually consists of a blueberry smoothie. But on weekends and lazy summer days, and on days that I want to remember the good ole days, I turn to this blueberry cream cheese coffee cake. So put on a pot of coffee, make this delicious coffee cake, and maybe invite some friends over to share it with. You will be so glad you did. 

BLUEBERRY CREAM CHEESE COFFEECAKE

What you will need:

Filling: 12 ounces of cream cheese, softened - 1/3 cup of sugar - 1 egg - 1 Tbsp. of fresh lemon juice - 1 tsp. vanilla extract

Streusel: 1 stick of unsalted butter, softened - 1 cup of sugar - 2/3 cup of all-purpose flour - 1 and 1/2 tsps. of cinnamon - 1/4 tsp. of salt

Batter: 1 stick of unsalted butter, softened - 1 and 1/4 cups of sugar - 2 eggs - 2 tsps. of vanilla extract - 4 cups of all-purpose flour - 1 Tbsp. plus 1 tsp. of baking powder - 1 tsp. of salt - 1 cup of whole milk - 3 cups of blueberries

To make: Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Butter a 13 x 9 inch glass baking dish. Do not use a metal baking pan. To make filling: With an electric mixer, beat together cream cheese and sugar. Add egg, lemon juice, and vanilla, and beat until smooth. 

To make streusel: In a small bowl blend together streusel ingredients until crumbly. 

To make batter: In another mixing bowl with an electric mixer, beat together butter and sugar. Beat in eggs, one at a time, beating well after each egg has been added. Add vanilla extract, and beat on high speed until light and fluffy. In another bowl, mix together flour, baking powder, and salt. Add to butter mixture in batches alternately with milk, beating well after each addition. Fold in blueberries, gently but thoroughly.

To assemble cake: Spread 2 and 1/2 cups of batter in bottom of baking dish and spread filling evenly on top. Drop spoonfuls of remaining batter on filling and spread evenly, being careful not to mix layers. Sprinkle streusel evenly over batter. Bake cake in middle of oven for 1 hour and 5 minutes, or until cake tester comes out clean. Cool coffeecake completely before cutting.