High Altitude Baking: Fabulous lightened version of my best blueberry coffee cake, made fluffy with egg whites.
I had a ton of blueberries this week, and ate them every morning with some cantaloupe sprinkled with lime juice and mint. Sometimes with a mound of yogurt, sometime not. Very healthy. Very virtuous. Very delicious.
But then I started thinking about blueberry coffee cake. By Wednesday, fluffy, streusel-crusted coffee cakes filled with blueberries were all I could think about. But when I started looking at some recipes, I couldn’t get past all the butter and sugar in them. I wasn’t looking to have dessert for breakfast. OK, sometimes I am, but not this time.
And I wasn’t looking to create something edgy with some hip ingredient only found in special stores in Mongolia. I wanted something my great-grandmother Mamma might have made.
So I cut the amount of butter I found in many recipes in half. I added back in 1 tablespoon of (not too edgy) coconut oil so it wouldn’t be too dry. Then I cut the sugar in half for the cake part, but made a traditional streusel with oats. Next I tackled the texture. I like an airy coffee cake, so I separated the eggs, and whipped the whites to a moderately firm peak, and folded them in at the end. The result was the best coffee cake I’ve ever made.
I know it’s not as healthy as the cantaloupe and berries breakfast, I won’t lie, but it’s a much healthier version for when you want to splurge.
A Few Cooking Notes:
This was developed for baking at high altitudes (7000 feet above sea level). If making at sea level, make the following changes:
- Use 1 egg yolk instead of 2 (but use 2 egg whites)
- Use the full 2 cups of all-purpose flour
- Use 1 full teaspoon EACH of the baking soda and baking powder
- Omit the yogurt
- Bake at 350˚F instead of convection bake.
My Best Blueberry Coffee Cake
Ingredients
Streusel Topping
- ¼ cup all-purpose flour
- ¼ cup oats
- ¼ cup coconut sugar or brown sugar
- ¼ cup unsalted butter softened
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon or split with ground cardamom
Coffee Cake
- ¼ cup unsalted butter softened
- 1 tablespoon coconut oil
- ½ cup sugar
- 2 large eggs separated
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 cups minus 2 tablespoon all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ¾ teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- zest from 1 lemon
- 1 cup buttermilk
- 1 tablespoon yogurt
- 1 cup blueberries
- ½ cup apricots or more blueberries
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350˚F, convection. Butter a 9-inch square pan or a 9-inch springform cake pan.
Streusel Topping
- In a small bowl, mix Streusel Topping ingredients together with a fork or pastry cutter until combined.
Coffee Cake
- Beat the butter, oil, and sugar in the mixing bowl of a standing mixer fitted with the paddle attachment until fluffy. Beat in the egg yolks and vanilla extract.
- In a separate bowl, combine flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt and lemon zest. In a small bowl, mix together the buttermilk and yogurt.
- Mix the dry ingredients into the butter and egg mixture alternately with the buttermilk, stirring just until combined. I use the lowest speed of the mixer. The batter will be thick.
- Add the blueberries and apricots and fold them into the batter using a rubber spatula.
- Whip the egg whites to a moderate peak using a hand mixer (the peaks should droop a little when you scoop the whipped egg whites with the beater and turn the beaters upside down). Fold the whipped egg whites into the batter in thirds using a rubber spatula. Little pieces of egg white should be visible in the batter. You don't want to fold them in too much.
- Pour the batter into the buttered baking pan. Sprinkle with the Streusel Topping.
- Bake for 50 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool on a rack for 15 minutes before serving. This coffee cake is great warm or room temperature.
Rita
Yumm. You're getting to be quite the food scientist, Susan. High-altitude baking is real food science :o)
The Wimpy Vegetarian
Thanks Rita! I agree. There have been numerous mistakes along the way, forcing me to really figure it out, but after 4 years of cooking part-time up here, I'm getting the hang of it 🙂 And this is probably my favorite place to make bread because it rises so fast 🙂
lizthechef
You have outdone yourself here - love the "light" version - pinned your photo as well.
The Wimpy Vegetarian
Thanks so much Liz!!
apuginthekitchen
Love it Susan, sounds light and delicious and looks it too, your photo's are amazing. When baking at sea level why only one egg yolk and omit the yogurt? Just wondering, have never done high altitude baking and don't really understand the science of it. My hat's off to you for this fantastic recipe,
The Wimpy Vegetarian
Thanks Suzanne! It's because it's so much drier up here at 7000 feet. If you make a cake exactly the same way here as you would at sea level, it'll be like a hockey puck. I speak from experience. So, for every cup of flour I generally take 1 tablespoon out. And I increase the egg amount (sometimes I get extra large eggs and that's enough to make the difference), and I almost always add a little yogurt to the mix for moisture. It depends on other factors, like other sources of moisture in the recipe, but that's my rule of thumb.
apuginthekitchen
So interesting, thanks. I love using yogurt in cake I can probably uses yogurt instead of buttermilk. Love this cake.
The Wimpy Vegetarian
Yogurt in place of the buttermilk should work great, Suzanne!
Terra
You totally have my attention.....especially since I have a HUGE bag of fresh picked blueberries! Love how thick that cake is, and the crumble top looks fabulous! Hugs, Terra
The Wimpy Vegetarian
Thanks so much Terra! If you make it at sea level, just make sure to look at my cooking notes just before the recipe for the adjustments to make 🙂
Norma Chang
I too was wondering why you omit the yogurt. Liked the fact that you reduce the sugar.
The Wimpy Vegetarian
Thanks Norma! I only added the yogurt for moisture. At 7000 feet above sea level, it's pretty dry here, and all baked items need more moisture content for the baked texture to be what you would experience at sea level. If you wanted the yogurt in it, just reduce the buttermilk, because at sea level the cake might be a little too moist. But I add a little yogurt to almost anything I bake up here just for the added moisture. I've had more than my share of hockey puck cakes, I can tell you 🙂
Jennie @themessybakerblog
I love how thick this cake is. Mmm, it looks yummy!
The Wimpy Vegetarian
Thanks so much Jennie! I wanted a nice thick cake so whipped up the egg whites to get a little more volume. Coffee cake in my book should be really thick 🙂
laurasmess
I have to admit that I've never considered the effect of altitude upon baking. It's probably because the state where I live is predominantly flat... exactly at sea level! Thanks so much for the cooking tips though. This is such a gorgeous looking coffee cake... I love the moist, fruit studded interior and the gorgeously golden crust. Mmmm! Perfect! Definitely trying this xx
The Wimpy Vegetarian
Thanks so much!! I think you'd really like it, Laura! Just make sure to look at my notes for making it at sea level. The notes are in the Notes section just before the recipe.
lapadia
Love your light version Susan, right up my alley!
The Wimpy Vegetarian
Thanks Linda! On my way to check out your cherry-almond cinnamon buns!!!
Lynda
Beautiful cake, Susan - best indeed. I love how you lightened it up.
The Wimpy Vegetarian
Thanks so much Lynda!
Erika
Wow, you've been on a roll lately--I just want to make everything that's come out of your kitchen! I loved your explanation of what you did to this cake to lighten it up--I'm always looking for healthier alternatives to traditionally fatty baked goods. Since this coffeecake has already passed muster with you, I definitely want to try it!! 🙂
The Wimpy Vegetarian
Thanks Erika!! And you're right - I've just been on a tear. My husband was traveling last week and I just camped out in the kitchen and baked my heart out. It was so fun. Just make sure to use the tips for baking this at sea level, found in the Tips section just before the recipe! I want you to be happy with the coffee cake 🙂
Christine (Cook the Story)
Mmmm...I love the idea of an almost-guilt-free coffee cake. You know, I've never had a huge amount of success with coffee cakes, never getting them the way I wan them to be. I really like hte idea of making it airier by whisking the egg whites. Definitely will try!
The Wimpy Vegetarian
Thanks so much Christine! The whipped egg whites really made the difference here, so I encourage you to try it on your next coffee cake! And if you decide to make this one, and are at sea level, just make sure to follow the tips for making it at sea level 🙂
Christine (Cook the Story)
Oh, and hey, I love that you've somehow added my twitter and facebook links to the comment I just made. Is that a plugin? I'd love to find out more about it if you get a chance. Thank you!
The Wimpy Vegetarian
It IS a plug-in! It's called CommentLuv. I love it because it also helps me to keep track of newest posts everyone has done. It can be so hard to keep up with all the blogs I love 🙂
The Wimpy Vegetarian
Oh wait, I should have read your comment better 🙁 You were talking about the twitter and facebook links. I have no idea how they show up. I had someone design my blog and that came along with it. No clue.
Christine (Cook the Story)
Weird, I have commentluv but it just gives the link to the last post people posted, not their twitter and FB links. I'm oging to have to look into it and see if there's a premium version or something that I'm missing for sure!
Amy Tong
Your Blueberry Coffee Cake looks gorgeous and perfect for afternoon tea. I love how you lighten it up. 🙂 Wonderful recipe.
The Wimpy Vegetarian
Thanks so much Amy!!
The Wimpy Vegetarian
By the way, Amy, your azuki ice cream looks fabulous. I can't wait to try it!!
Cookin Canuck
It's hard not to let your mind drift to coffee cake when you have blueberries on hand. I love the changes that you made to lighten things up, particularly whipping the egg whites for added lift. Brilliant!
The Wimpy Vegetarian
Thanks so much Dara! It's definitely my new go-to recipe when we have weekend guests 🙂
Janie E
I love how rustic is looks. It looks straight out of a country home and that makes me wholeheartedly believe that it's definitely got to be the best coffeecake in existence!
Just wanted to stop by and welcome you to Group D in the Secret Recipe Club - looking forward to having you in the group! If you need anything, feel free to email me: fantasticalsharing1 AT gmail DOT com
The Wimpy Vegetarian
Thanks so much Janie E ! I'm really excited about joining the SRC family!
mjskit
Oh YUM! What a scrumptious blueberry coffeecake! It looks SO moist and look at all those blueberries! thanks for the high altitude adjustments. Always appreciated since I'm a mile high.
The Wimpy Vegetarian
I've had quite a few disasters on the road to figuring out how to bake at high altitudes, MJ. Including birthday cakes no one could eat 🙂
Mary
I'm the lucky neighbor who got 2 pieces of this coffeecake. I can attest. I'm baking it this weekend for my family. Thanks a bunch Susan
The Wimpy Vegetarian
Thanks so much Mary!! I'm so glad you guys liked it. If you've got any questions this weekend on it, just ask. I'm around all weekend 🙂
Christine @ 24 Carrot Kitchen
I love that this is a lighter version. I agree that many recipes have too much sugar and butter. The photos look lovely and the cake delicious!
The Wimpy Vegetarian
Thanks so much Christine!!
Rita
I live at 5600’ in elevation.
Will the higher altitude recipe
Work here? It sure sounds good!
The Wimpy Vegetarian
Yes! I made this at 6300 ft, so you should be fine without any adjustments. I hope you like it!!
Veronica
Hi! I was wondering if you think this recipe would work the same in a Bundt pan and adding the strusel in first ...writing from 7,703 elevation!
The Wimpy Vegetarian
Wow, your elevation is even higher than ours! I wish I had an answer for you. I've never made it in a Bundt pan, so I'm just not sure. If you try it, I'd love to hear how it went for you!
Veronica
Hey there! It worked out great in the Bundt pan although the struesel just melted in and didn't have that nice crispy texture. I put some on top and bottom so that's probably why . Other than that it's been my most successful coffee cake at elevation , thanks!
The Wimpy Vegetarian
Yay!!!! Thanks so much for letting me know how it worked. I'm so happy it was your most successful coffee cake yet. Even though the streusel kind of melted in, it wouldn't have affected the flavor I'm thinking. Congrats!!
Kathy
Excellent blueberry flavored coffeecake. My whole family liked it!. I will definitely make it again. Thanks for sharing!
The Wimpy Vegetarian
I'm so happy you all enjoyed it! It's still my go-to coffee cake when blueberries are in season! Thanks so much for letting me know!
Ronak Mehta
I tried out a cake with the above recipe. The cake was very soft and tasty. Thank you.