Sugar and Spice

My women's fiction novel, In the Company of Women, is the story of a group of women who meet and come together during a critical and pivotal year in their lives. Not only do they support and assist each other as they deal with the situations they each face, they teach each other how gratitude, forgiveness and of course friendship can help you get through. Each of the women has a different lifestyle and career. Living in the fictional mountain town of Eagledale, Colorado, their diversity adds some interesting twists and turns. One of the characters, Emma Phillips, owns and operates Everything Nice, a bakery in the town. I write about many of the things that Emma bakes in the book and thought it would be fun to share one of the recipes with you all.

Emma's Sour Cream Blueberry Coffee Cake

1-1/2 cups unbleached, sifted flour

1 cup sugar

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

2 eggs

1 cup sour cream

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

1/4 cup fresh blueberries or other fruit

Topping

5 Tablespoons sugar

2 Tablespoons butter

1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

Heat oven to 350 degrees F. Sift flour with sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt. In a separate bowl beat eggs, sour cream and vanilla. Add to flour mixture and beat until smooth. Spread in greased 9-inch square baking pan.

Dot batter with fruit.

Mix topping ingredients together until mixture resembles cornmeal. Sprinkle over batter.

Bake for 20-25 minutes. Cake is done when toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Makes 1 coffee cake.

Note: High Altitude adjustments are as follows:

Add 1 Tablespoon flour

Remove 1 Tablespoon sugar

Baking powder-change to 1-1/2 teaspoons

Change baking temperature to 375 degrees F, and adjust baking time to 45-50 minutes