"Boscoe Bakes 911"...........Blueberry Orange Sour Cream Coffee Cake

I received a 911 call from a friend in need.  He was informed that he had to fill in for a regular meeting coordinator this evening, and didn't have anything to provide that would go along with the coffee service.  Usually the hostess would bring or bake something delicious, and in her absence, she told him to call me!  Suddenly I'm in love with this women........but we'll save that for another time.  So, I quickly got to work and prepared an old time favorite.  This delicious coffee cake is loaded with blueberries and is companioned with a lovely orange sour cream cake. The orange zest adds just enough color to offset the deep, dark blue provided by the blueberries, and the Grand Marnier fine tunes the orange accents. Preparation is a breeze, and I guarantee you won't have any leftovers.  See for yourself.......

"Boscoe's" Blueberry Orange Sour Cream Coffee Cake

Ingredients:

• 1 cup unsalted butter (2 sticks) at room temperature
  
• 1-1/2 cups granulated sugar
  
• 2 large eggs at room temperature
  
• 1 cup sour cream
  
• 1 tablespoon GOOD vanilla extract
  
• 2 teaspoons Grand Marnier
  
• Zest of one orange
  
• 2 cups all purpose flour
  
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
  
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
  
• 1 lb 5 oz of home made blueberry pie filling, or 1-21 oz can blueberry pie filling
  
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
  
• 1/4 cup light brown sugar
  
• 2 teaspoons (generous) cinnamon
  

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 350 F. In the bowl of a standing mixer, combine butter, sugar, eggs, sour cream, vanilla extract, Grand Marnier and orange zest. Mix on medium speed for 2 minutes. Scrap down sides and mix again for 1 minute at medium setting. Combine flour, baking powder and salt in medium bowl. Add to butter mixture and blend until just combined. Spread half of the batter into a greased 13x9 inch baking pan. Spread blueberry filling evenly over batter. Cover blueberry filling evenly with remaining half of batter. Mix together the sugars and cinnamon. Sprinkle evenly over the top of the coffee cake. Bake in 350 F oven for 65-70 minutes.

Press Release: My Inspiration...."Geraldine The Cookie Maven".....Revealed... First "Signature" Cake Unveiled

For Immediate Release "Lights, Cameras.......Action"......... My "inspiration", Geraldine the self professed "cookie maven" who knighted me "The Cookie Doctor", has agreed to go public.  And she has requested that I name a "piece" in her honor.  Well, needless to say, I immediately agreed that this request should be honored ASAP, but then wasn't quite sure what piece I should grace with her name.  At first, I thought it only befitting that I choose one of my "signature" cookies for this honor.  But suddenly it dawned on me that the wonderful coffee cake I was actually making as we spoke, would indeed be the perfect choice. (People always call when I start my mixer!) This cake has "royalty" written all over it.  It is a lovely, rich sour cream coffee cake that highlights cranberry and orange, is enrobed with strawberry preserves and delicately crowned with almond icing. It also shares some of the same ingredients that comprise one of my favorite cookies, so this honor is very fitting indeed.  Well folks, without further ado....... I am honored to present to you my First "Signature" Piece....."Geraldine"

                           "Geraldine"

A Cranberry Orange Sour Cream Coffee Cake

For the Cake:

• 3/4 cup of unsalted butter at room temperature
• 1-1/2 cups of granulated sugar
• 3 large eggs at room temperature
• 2 teaspoons of pure almond extract
• zest of one large orange
• 3 Cups of all purpose flour
• 1-1/2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1-1/2 cups of sour cream
• 1-16 ounce can of whole cranberries

For the Glaze:

• 1 cup of Dickinson's Strawberry perserves
• 2 teaspoons of pure almond extract

For the Icing:

• 1 cup of confectioner's sugar 
  
• 4 teaspoons of water
• 2 teaspoons of pure almond extract

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 350'. Butter and flour a 10 inch bundt or tube pan. In the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, cream together the butter and sugar.  Add eggs, one at at a time, and beat at medium speed for 2 minutes. Add extract and zest, mix to incorporate.  Sift together the flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt in a medium bowl.  Add half of the flour mixture to the butter mixture with half of the sour cream and mix well.  Repeat with the remaining flour mixture and sour cream and mix until incorporated.  Do NOT overmix.  Dough will be somewhat sponge like in consistency. Spread approximately 1/3 of the batter into the pan and top with 1/3 of the cranberry sauce.  Be careful to spread cranberry sauce into middle of the pan, avoiding contact with sides and center of pan. It might make cake removal difficult. Repeat twice more. Bake cake for 65-70 minutes, or until cake tested inserted into center comes out clean.

While cake is baking, heat preserves in pyrex measuring cup in microwave oven until bubbling, approximately 2-1/2 minutes on high.  Add almond extract and mix thoroughly.  Set aside.  

When cake is done, cool in pan for 20 minutes. Reheat strawberry almond glaze till very hot and viscous. Line a large baking sheet with wax paper or freezer wrap.  Remove cake from pan and place on wire rack. Place on top of covered baking sheet. Brush on hot glaze and cover cake completely. Use all of the glaze to ensure cake is thoroughly enrobbed.  Let cake cool 5-6 hours. 

Combine icing ingredients, mix until desired consistency and drizzle over cake in a decorative fashion. Let cake rest at least 1 hour before serving.