Coffee & a Very Berry Coffee Cake

This morning I went to Starbucks to re-stock our supply of coffee, espresso and vanilla syrup. We have an espresso machine and not many days go by that I don't make myself an iced caramel machiatto. yes, I'm spoiled, but the espresso maker was a house warming present to ourselves a few years ago and making our own is way better than paying $4 for a Venti at Starbucks every day. David enjoys them on occasion, but he prefers regular coffee on most days. I chose the Red blend again, it's so good and for every 1 lb bag of (STARBUCKS)RED whole bean coffee sold in the United States and Canada, Starbucks will contribute $1 to the Global Fund to help people living with AIDS in Africa. Cool huh!?


I also love their Very Berry Coffee Cake, except that it's usually kind of dense, cold and a bit over-priced. So I went home and looked up some recipes online hoping to find a secret Starbucks version. No such luck, but I found several yummy sounding ones and ended up combining them and making my own. It turned out tasting "better than Starbucks" (according to David) and it is much healthier for you too! (scroll to the bottom for a nutritional comparison)
I hope you like it! You can rate this recipe on Allrecipes by clicking here. Don't be shy! (if you're a Vegan, make this version- it might actually be better!)



batter:


mix together these ingredients in medium sized bowl:

3/4 cup white flour
3/4 cup wheat flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 Tbs cinnamon






then mix together these ingredients, and add to the dry mixture and mix well.

1 egg
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 cup country crock (or butter), melted
1/2 cup milk
3/4 tsp vanilla extract


pre-heat oven to *375



struesel topping:

1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
3 Tbs white flour
3 tsp cinnamon
1/2 cup quick oats (or whole oats partially ground)
1/8 cup coconut
3 Tbs country crock (or butter), soft

mix in a bowl and use a fork to make crumbly. my mixture turned into a paste because my margarine was melted, but it worked out fine, I just had to work harder to spread it on the top.

filling:

2 cups of mixed berries (I used 1 cup of chopped strawberries and one cup of blueberries- frozen is fine as long as you thaw them first)

OR

2 apples (I used one granny smith and one gala)

Core, quarter and slice. Do two layers, one of each apple.

OR

2 cups of canned peaches, drained


grease a 9x9 baking pan. spoon half of the dough into the pan. cover with fruit. scoop remaining dough on top of the fruit. spread as evenly as possible. top with streusel and bake for 40-45 minutes. check center with toothpick.

enjoy!



PS. Don't forget to review this recipe on Allrecipes by clicking here!