Blueberry Coffee Cake during a Hurricane Irene Weekend! (Reduced Fat & 196 Calories)

So how was it in your area?  I’m talking about Hurricane Irene! 

Did she do more damage than you expected?  Besides losing our power we weren’t too affected by the hurricane thankfully.

However, there were quite a few people whose homes were flooded from what I saw – really sad.

My parents, husband and I stayed over my sis-in-law and brother’s home the night of Hurricane Irene.  Here is a shot before it started pouring. 

We turned the night into a fun family night by watching movies, having tea and my Blueberry Coffee Cake which everyone seemed to enjoy.
We all dug into Ben & Jerry’s Half Baked with Chocolate & Vanilla Ice Creams mixed with Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough & Fudge Brownies. 
It was okay.  It was dominating in chocolate with very very few pieces of cookie dough and brownie bites.  Skip this and opt for Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough.
I wanted to make a fruit based cake that my parents would enjoy as well hence why I opted for a Blueberry Coffee Cake. 
I reduced the fat by almost 50% from the original recipe and despite that this cake tasted moist and really good.  Hope you enjoy it. 

NUTRITION: Whole Wheat Pastry Flour is a great source of Protein and Fiber.  Blueberries are a very good source of Vitamin C and Fiber.  They are a good source of Vitamin E. In addition, blueberries are an ANTIOXIDANT POWERHOUSE.

MODIFICATIONS I MADE:

• Based on the original recipe, I replaced half the All Purpose White Flour with Whole Wheat Pastry Flour.
• Instead of using 1/2 cup of butter (8 tbsp), I used 6 tbsp of butter.
• Instead of using 1/2 cup of milk, I used 3/4 cup of Reduced Fat 2% Milk.
• I skipped the confectioners sugar.
• For the streusel, I halved the recipe – I believe that is way too much streusel.
• Instead of using 4 tbsp of butter for the half streusel recipe, I used 3 tbsp. 
• For the streusel, I also use a combination of white flour and whole wheat pastry flour.

APPROXIMATE NUTRITION PER SERVING (yields 16 generous slices)

• Calories: 196 cals
• Fat: 6.9 g
• Saturated Fat: 4.1 g
• Carbs: 37 g
• Protein: 2.5 g
• Fiber: 1.2 g

BLUEBERRY COFFEE CAKE (REDUCED FAT) (mostly adapted by AllRecipes by Debbie Rowe)
~ yields 16 servings @ 350 degrees for 50 minutes using a Bundt Pan
~ fat reduced by 40%; saturated fat reduced by 42%; calories reduced by 28%

INGREDIENTS (using my modifications):


for the streusel (half the recipe)

• Brown Sugar – 1/2 cup
• All Purpose White Flour – 2 1/2 tbsp
• Whole Wheat Pastry Flour – 3 tbsp
• Ground Cinnamon – 1/2 tsp
• Unsalted Butter – 3 tbsp
• Canola Oil – 1 tbsp (if need be… use less if possible)

for the cake

• All Purpose White Flour – 1 cup
• Whole Wheat Pastry Flour – 1 cup
• Baking Powder – 2 tsp
• Salt – 1/2 tsp
• Unsalted Butter – 6 tbsp
• Sugar – 1 cup
• Egg – 1
• Vanilla Extract – 1 tsp
• Milk 2% Reduced Fat – 3/4 cup
• Fresh Blueberries – 1 cup

DIRECTIONS:
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
2. Grease a Bundt pan.
FOR THE STREUSEL
3. Prepare the streusel and set aside.  Use your hands to form the crumble mixture and add an additional tablespoon of Canola Oil if need be (use less if possible).  Set aside.
FOR THE CAKE
4. In a mixing bowl combine the dry ingredients… white flour, whole wheat pastry flour, baking powder, and salt.  Set aside.
5. In a separate mixing bowl cream the butter on high speed using an Electric Mixer.  Do this for a few minutes.
6. Add the sugar and cream for a few more minutes until the butter and sugar are fluffy and creamy.
7. Add the egg and vanilla extract.  Beat well for a few minutes.
8. This is what you should have.
9. Add the 1/3 of the dry mix followed by some of the milk.  Do this in 3 parts starting and ending with the dry (tip by Ina Garten… my baking guru).
10. Sprinkle very little flour over the blueberries (literally less than 1 tbsp).  This will prevent the blueberries from sinking to the bottom of the cake.
11. Add the blueberries to the batter and gently combine. 
12. Pour the batter into the Bundt pan.
13. Sprinkle the streusel mixture on top.
14. Into the oven for 50 minutes.  I started checking mine after 45 minutes, but I definitely don’t think you need to bake this for 1 hour as the original recipe suggests.
15. Yummy!!!  The smell feels like home!

16. Indulge with a cuppa watching Ms. Irene come down hard. 






OVERALL RATING: 4.5 / 5
My family loved the cake and they were shocked when I told them I reduced the fat by almost 50%.  Although the flavor was amazing, the cake could have been a slightly more moist.  I would consider adding a 1/4 to 1/2 cup of Greek Yogurt or milk to add more moisture.  Overall a great cake and will keep making it. 




TELL ME: Were you affected by Hurricane Irene?