Usually I love a challenging recipe. The kind of recipe that calls for 7,000 ingredients (half of which have to be ordered online), requires more mixing bowls and utensils than I own and takes days to prepare. Love those. But sometimes an avid home cook needs a break. Colby and Megan Garrelts’ Made in America: A Modern Collection of Classic Recipes is that kind of return to honest, simple cooking. This is a collection of Midwestern soul food that called up childhood memories, family traditions and reminded me that delicious food is restorative and refreshing long after it leaves the palate.
The Garrelts both hail from the Midwest – he from Kansas, she from Chicago – and together own Rye and Bluestem in Kansas City. Colby is a co-executive chef and a James Beard Award-winning chef, while Megan also serves as co-executive chef and a James Beard Award-semifinalist for Outstanding Pastry Chef. (Sidebar: This accomplished culinary couple is coming to The Restaurant at The Cheshire on Mon., June 8 for the next installment of the Sauce Celebrity Chef Series.)
Knowing full well that I will never be an award-winning chef, I was delighted to find Made in America was full of accessible recipes for those of us who have not been recognized by the James Beard Foundation. I chose to treat some special people to the Blueberry Oat Breakfast Cake. Cake for breakfast? Sounds like a plan.
The ingredients list was straightforward, and I picked up everything I needed at just one store. The directions were easy to follow and intuitive. I particularly liked that the cake can be assembled the night before, then baked the next morning while your coffee brews. Of course, I could not wait, so I baked it right away.
The result was a perfect start to the day – a mildly sweet, lemony cake texture with juicy blueberries that burst slightly during baking and a rich and hearty streusel topping. Perhaps a new tradition has been born.
Blueberry Oat Breakfast Cake Makes 1 8-inch square cake
Oat Streusel ¾ cup firmly packed light brown sugar
4 Tbsp. (1/2 stick) cold unsalted butter
¼ cup unbleached all-purpose flour
½ tsp. ground cinnamon
1/8 tsp. kosher salt
½ cup old-fashioned rolled oats
Cake ¾ cup granulated sugar
8 Tbsp. (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
Finely grated zest of 1 lemon
2 large eggs
2 Tbsp. buttermilk
2 tsp. pure vanilla extract
1 1/8 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
2 tsp. baking powder
½ tsp kosher salt
2 pints fresh blueberries
Confectioners’ sugar, for dusting
1 cup heavy cream, whipped up to soft peaks for serving
• To make the oat streusel, place the brown sugar, butter, flour, cinnamon and salt in a food processor. Pulse until the mixture resembles coarse meal. Transfer the streusel mixture to a medium bowl and gently fold in the oats. Set aside in the refrigerator. (You may transfer the streusel to an airtight container or resealable plastic bag and freeze for up to 1 month.)
• To make the cake, preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease an 8-inch square cake pan and set aside.
• Combine the sugar, butter and lemon zest in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Cream the mixture until light and fluffy, 6 to 8 minutes. Add the eggs, buttermilk and vanilla to the creamed butter mixture and mix to combine.
• In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt. Add the dry ingredients to the butter mixture and mix until just incorporated, making sure to scrape down the sides of the bowl while mixing. Transfer the cake batter to the prepared cake pan, using a spatula to spread the cake batter evenly. Once the batter is evenly spread across the bottom of the cake pan, use the spatula to smear the batter up the sides of the pan, coating the entire inside of the cake pan. Spread the blueberries across the top of the cake batter, then sprinkle the oat streusel topping evenly over the blueberries to cover. (The cake can be prepared to this point and refrigerated, covered, overnight.)
• Bake the cake until it is golden brown along the edges and the center begins to bubble from the blueberries, about 45 minutes. Let cool to room temperature before slicing into wedges; the cake will sink slightly in the center from the weight of the berries. Serve at room temperature or warm slightly before serving, topping each slice with a dusting of confectioners’ sugar and a dollop of freshly whipped cream.
Reprinted with permission from Andrews McMeel Publishing What’s your go-to make-ahead breakfast dish? Tell us in the comments below for a chance to win a SIGNED copy of Made in America by Colby and Megan Garrelts.
This article appears in May 2015.