Dear Jeanne: This is a recipe that I make quite often because it's delicious, but I wonder if you could do your thing and make it delicious and better for me. Thanks for whatever you can do! — K. Baker, Scottsdale, Ariz.
Dear K.: This is a delicious treat, and it contains about half the fat, without sacrificing anything. Now you can make it without feeling guilty about it. Also, try using frozen blueberries, unthawed — they plump up while baking, making the cake more moist.
BLUEBERRY COFFEECAKE
1/2 cup butter
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1/2 cup milk
1 1/2 cups flour
1 teaspoon cinnamon
2 teaspoons baking powder
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups blueberries
TOPPING:
1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup flour
1/3 cup walnuts
1/2 cup brown sugar
Cream the butter and sugar; add the eggs and milk. Combine the flour, cinnamon, baking powder and salt, and add to the wet mixture. Add the blueberries and put the batter into a 9-by-9-inch greased pan. For topping, mix together the butter, flour, walnuts and brown sugar. Spread over the top of the batter. Bake at 350 F for 45 minutes.
Makes 12 servings.
LIGHT BLUEBERRY COFFEECAKE
1/4 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups blueberries, frozen
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 cup low-fat buttermilk
TOPPING:
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup flour
2 tablespoons butter, melted
1/4 cup walnuts
1. Preheat the oven to 350 F. Spray a 9-by-9-inch pan with nonstick cooking spray and set aside.
2. Beat the butter with the sugar until well-mixed. Beat in the egg and continue beating for at least a minute, until light and fluffy. Beat in the vanilla.
3. Remove 2 tablespoons of the flour and sprinkle over the frozen blueberries to keep them separated. Combine the remaining flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cinnamon.
3. Add the flour mixture in three batches alternately with the buttermilk, beating after each addition. Mix in the floured frozen blueberries. Place batter in the prepared pan and spread evenly.
4. Combine the topping ingredients and crumble evenly over the batter in the pan. Bake for about 45 minutes, or until a sharp knife inserted into the center comes out clean.
Makes 12 servings.
Each serving contains approximately: Original Recipe: 306 calories; 15 gm fat; 68 mg cholesterol; 424 mg sodium; 40 gm carbohydrates; 4 gm protein; 1 gm fiber. Revised Recipe: 197 calories; 7 gm fat; 34 mg cholesterol; 311 mg sodium; 28 gm carbohydrates; 4 gm protein; 1 gm fiber.
Jeanne Jones is the author of 33 cookbooks, most recently "Cooking From the Cupboard" (Rodale Press). For more information, you can go to her Web site, jeannejones.com. Send your recipe for revision to: Cook It Light, Deseret News, P.O. Box 1212, La Jolla, CA 92038. Please include a stamped (61 cents), self-addressed envelope. © King Features Syndicate Inc.