Post-vacation coffee cake

We just returned from five days’ vacation, where a pickle was the closest approximation to produce on my kids’ plates. While I can make myself choose salad over a burrito to detox, my kids are a harder sell. 

When I got home from work yesterday I had the urge to whip up something they could grab before the bus while saving myself a battle to get nutrients into their growing bodies. A transition was needed - a bowl of cereal with fresh fruit is something of a let-down after freshly made donuts or french toast casserole for breakfast. 

I paged through my recipe binder while doing a mental inventory of my freezer and settled on this wonderful coffee cake, which is my son’s favorite. I love it because in addition to being delicious, it is relatively low in fat as well as sugar, and it includes fruit. This time around, though, sneaky mom made some modifications. (Insert evil laugh here.)

Was the difference noticeable? A bit. Was it still special and yummy? Absolutely. And it took all of ten minutes to assemble.

Very Berry Coffee Cake, from The Lodge in Vail, CO
Original recipe found here

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup packed light brown sugar – I used 1/4 cup
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 cup chopped pecans
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1/2 cup plain yogurt – had strawberry in the house, so used that and cut back on sugar
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil – I used applesauce
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 cups all-purpose flour – I used 1 cup whole wheat flour, 1 cup all-purpose, and added 3 t flaxmeal
• 1/2 cup sugar – I used 1/4 cup
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 1/2 cups mixed berries – you can use anything you have on hand. I had frozen blackberries and raspberries and they were great.

Directions

1. In a small bowl, add the first 3 ingredients; stir to combine and set aside.
2. In a mixing bowl, add the egg, milk, yogurt, oil, and vanilla; stir until blended.
3. In another bowl, add in the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt; stir to mix.
4. Pour the egg mixture over the flour mixture and stir just until dry ingredients are moistened.
5. Fold in berries and pour into a greased 8x8 inch baking pan.
6. Sprinkle with reserved brown sugar-pecan topping and lightly press into the batter.
7. Bake at 350 degrees for 30-35 minutes or until a pick comes out clean.
8. Let cool for 5 minutes, cut into squares and serve.