Wednesday, August 11, 2010

Happy blueberry crumb cake

Remember this?



It's so quintessentially Peanut-y: sweet, but melancholy. Watching the Peanuts always filled me with a bit of dread; I worried about Charlie Brown getting tricked by Lucy or left behind when everyone else went to do something fun, two things which seemed to happen to him all too often.

Anyway, in spite of its happy/sad melody and trembling chorus, I love this little tune, especially the line about the two kinds of ice cream (I mean, right?).

When my sister and I were kids, we had a Peanuts book, a companion to "You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown," that was called, Happiness is a Warm Puppy. Although it took me until I was 22 and found Frances, I can now verify that this is unequivocally true, happiness actually is a warm puppy. It's also:  the smell of coffee brewing, waking up in Kauai, and your husband coming home after a long trip.

One more, too: happiness is blueberry crumb cake.

At this point, if you're sick of reading about my various blueberry escapades...I suggest you beat it, because I'm not done with them yet. It's August and freezing in San Francisco: the only sign that we have that it's summer is that blueberries abound. They're cheap and they're everywhere.

If you decided to stick around, let me tell you about this delightful blueberry crumb cake. While the core of the recipe is not new to me or this blog (I wrote about its original incarnation, jammy apricot crumb cake, last December), one day recently I was in the mood for breakfast cake and had some blueberries needing attention.

Instead of dolloping apricot jam over the simple batter, I substituted the blueberries (about a pint), then covered them with crumb topping. Since blueberries are apparently the way to a long and healthy life, I figure they're still beneficial even if sprinkled atop a soft and sweet cake and tucked underneath a layer of brown sugar and butter.

They are certainly the way to happiness.

12 comments:

  1. I think more and more studies are showing that happiness leads to long and healthy lives. Love me some breakfast cake!

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  2. You know, I'm not a huge blueberry fan, but I am a huge crumbcake fan and that looks wicked good.

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  3. Please keep baking and blogging about these luscious fruit desserts! I have been eating my fresh fruit too fast to ever have enough to bake with. So I'm living vicariously through your yummy pics.

    However, I'm still making myriad cakes, cookies and ice cream. No problem turning on the oven when it's so freakin' crazy cold outside! - Pete

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  4. Haha. I don't wanna beat it. I love the blueberry recipes, so I hope you keep them coming. This one looks delicious and has me regretting that I didn't freeze a single blueberry this year.

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  5. Happiness is having your cake, and making it healthy too :) I'll never be sick of blueberries, now if I can only get them to grow (killed two plants so far, oops). Keep those berries coming.

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  6. camille: I agree, and more reason to eat cake for breakfast!

    Bob: Crumb cake of any time is a winner.

    Pete: I wish you would start your own blog so I could read about your delicious creations (and se photos!)

    oneordinaryday: frozen blueberries might work pretty well with this recipe--I doubt you could tell much difference.

    shaz: impressive, trying to grow your own!

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  7. I do remember it and it still looks good!

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  8. Thanks for the memories. I, too, grew up with Peanuts. In fact, my aunt used to work for the company that distributed all the Peanuts toys. So every Christmas, I would get something Snoopy-related. They were the best gifts of all. ;)

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  9. i enjoy the crumb-to-cake ratio. happiness is a giant slab of cake.

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  10. egg: thanks!

    CJ: We used to get stuffed snoopies for christmas from a favorite aunt and uncle...loved those!

    grace: agreed.

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  11. It is hot and sweltering in Florida (ugh). I could use a cold summer in San Francisco.

    I had not thought about Charlie brown for what seems eons until I read your post. I used to love Charlie Brown and Snoopy was my favorite. I still do the Snoopy dance when I am happy :-)

    Rock on with the blueberry dishes!

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  12. There can never be enough blueberry recipes! Love the Charlie Brown vid! (Still have the Snoopy doll from when I was three years old, sheesh...)

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