Blueberry Coffee Cake

We are in the middle of moving houses and I have been putting off packing my bake ware to the very last minute. I hate having to dig into boxes if I do decide to bake something. All for good reason, since I did decide to bake one last thing before the move. ..Blueberry Coffee Cake.


I had one baking pan prepped (greased and floured) from another cake recipe, which I didn’t use, so for the sake of using the pan this cake came to be. Weird excuses, I know, all in the name of baking :D

The recipe is Ina Garten’s for Blueberry Muffins, but I made a cake instead of muffins. I halved the recipe to fit in the 8-inch x 2inch baking pan.


You will need:

6 tablespoons (3/4 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
3/4 cups sugar
2 extra-large eggs, at room temperature
¾ tsp vanilla extract
½ cup sour cream
1/8 cup milk
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
¼ tsp baking soda
¼ tsp kosher salt
½ pint (1 cup) fresh blueberries

Preheat the oven to 350F. Prepare an 8-inch x 2 inch round baking pan by greasing it and dusting it with flour.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. With the mixer on low speed, add the eggs 1 at a time, then add the vanilla, sour cream, and milk.



In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. With the mixer on low speed add the flour mixture to the batter and beat until just mixed. Fold in the blueberries with a spatula and be sure the batter is completely mixed.


Transfer batter to prepared pan. Bake for 30 mins until a cake tester comes out clean. Cool in pan for 10 minutes, then turn onto a rack to cool completely.

This cake was incredibly moist and definitely scrumptious.

I am off to India for a few weeks, will try not to forget updating here while I'm busy gorging on mom's food :D

Stuffed Poblanos

I was at the Farmers Market earlier today and saw these gleaming Poblanos piled high. I knew just the thing to make and bought them .


I made Stuffed Poblanos baked till scrumptious.


You will need:

1 cup uncooked basmati rice
1 ½ cups water 4 large poblano peppers
1 tsp Oil
1 cup cooked black beans
1/4 cup yellow corn
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 fresh Jalapeno, chopped
¾ cup Sour cream
¾ cup crumbled Cotija cheese (about 4 oz)
½ cup chopped cilantro
2 Tomatoes chopped
Salt and pepper to taste

Note: If you can't find Cotija, use grated Parmesan which is similar in taste

Wash Basmati rice, and cook with water until done. Set aside to cool.

Prepare poblanos for filling. Wash and dry the poblanos with a paper towel. Cut around the stems using a paring knife and give it a little twist. The stem should come off with the seeds as shown below.


Trim the seeds and save the stems, they are the little caps for your stuffed poblanos.

Heat oil in a pan. Add the cumin seeds and minced garlic and sauté for a few seconds. Then add the chopped jalapeno and black beans. Cook for a few minutes. Season with salt and pepper.


Preheat oven to 350F. Line a baking sheet with foil. In a large bowl, combine the cooked cooled rice, black bean mixture, sour cream, cilantro, chopped tomatoes and the cotija cheese. Add more salt and pepper if necessary.


Fill the peppers and place the stems on top. Place the four filled poblanos on the baking sheet and bake in oven for 25-30 minutes and then broil for 5 minutes. The poblanos will look blistered and wrinkly. Serve while still hot.

If you have leftover rice, use it in a burrito or eat it the way it is. ;)