Raspberry CoffeeCake

MmmhmMmmmm...raspberry. I love all berries, but most of all raspberry. Mainly because its red, and red happens to be my favorite color. So,I don't usually plan for desert. My trip to the supermarket always includes some choice ingredients for a desert that I will mix and match later on during the week. Its all about making a quick cookie, cake or pudding for that sweet satisfaction. On my last excursion I grabbed a bunch of frozen raspberries and decided to give this cake a try. This recipe did not call for the sauce, and I ended up substituting the fresh for frozen. So, that left me with extra raspberries in its juice. I figured it couldn't hurt to have some sauce over the cake in case it turned out dry. I got this recipe from joyofbaking.com My favorite baking website. This is a tarty coffee cake and I sprinkled some vanilla sugar on top before I baked so that it would add an extra sweet flavor. Honestly, it can be made with any berry, whatever you have on hand. This cake is absolutely delicious if you enjoy the tart.

Best part about any berry are the antioxidants!

Raspberry Coffeecake with Sauce

Streusel Topping:

1/3 cup all purpose flour

1/3 cup granulated white sugar

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 cup cold unsalted butter , cut into pieces

Cake Batter:

1 cup all purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/8 teaspoon salt

1/4 cup unsalted butter, room temperature

1/2 cup granulated white sugar

1 large egg

1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1/3 cup milk

2 cups fresh/frozen berries (any)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (177 degrees C). Butter an 8 inch (20 cm) spring form pan and line the bottom of the pan with parchment paper. Set aside.

Streusel topping: In a large bowl, mix together the flour, sugar,and ground cinnamon. Cut in the butter with a pastry blender or fork until it resembles coarse crumbs. Set aside while you make the cake batter.

In a separate bowl whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside in the bowl of your electric mixer, with the paddle attachment, cream the butter. Add the sugar and beat until light and fluffy. Add the egg and vanilla and beat until incorporated. Add the flour mixture, alternately with the milk, and beat only until combined. I also added some of the raspberry juice into the batter. Spread the batter into the bottom of the prepared pan, smoothing the top with an offset spatula.

Evenly arrange the berries on top of the cake batter and then sprinkle with the streusel topping

Bake for about 45 - 50 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean. Remove from oven and place on a wire rack to cool slightly.

Raspberry Sauce

:: Because I used frozen raspberries, I had the juice left after I had used it for the cake. I took the left over juices with the raspberry and set it to boil. I added about two tablespoons of honey and about a 1/3rd cup of sugar. After the sugar was mixed in completely , I poured it over a sieve and strained our all the seeds. What was left over was a sweet red sauce. Serve over anything- especially CAKE! ;)