Cookbook Countdown and Weekend Cooking--Blackberry Cream Streusel Cake

What could be better for "Weekend Cooking" than using one of my rarely used cookbooks and courting it towards my "Cookbook Countdown?"



Well....nothing. So I used a cookbook that I never, NEVER pull out and use. I took it with me on our drive to Reno last week, and found about TWENTY recipes that I want to try.


The cookbook, I'm talking about is "Morning Glories"; Recipes for Breakfast, Brunch and Beyond From an American Country Inn, by Donna Leahy.


Leahy and her husband are the proprietors of The Inn at Twin Linden in Lancaster, PA.


I just checked out their website and man oh man...it's beautiful!!
Check out their website!
(they also have a BLOG--check it out here)
 
I've had this cookbook for about 15 years, and had never, not once, used it, but I've decided that inviting friends for breakfast or brunch this summer is something I want to do.

While glancing thru it, I was just amazed at all the great recipes. Many I have marked and want to try.


This is one of them..... and it was so incredibly delicious, I can't wait to make it again for my friends.

Blackberry Cream Streusel Cake

with Cinnamon Cream


Cake batter and crumb topping
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cups sugar
3/4 cup butter
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup sour cream
1 egg
1 teaspoon almond-extract


Filling
8oz cream cheese
1/4 cup sour cream
1 egg
1/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon almond extract
1 cup seedless blackberry preserves


Cinnamon Custard Cream
1 cup milk
1 cup heavy cream
4 egg yolks
1/3 cup light brown sugar
2 teaspoons cinnamon


Cake and Topping: Preheat oven to 350 degrees, grease a 9-10 inch spring form pan.
In a large bowl, combine flour and sugar. With a pastry blender, cut in the butter until the mixture is crumbly. Remove and reserve 1 cup of this.
Then add the baking powder, soda and salt, combine well.
In a separate bowl, whisk together the sour cream, egg and almond extract. Stir this in the flour mixture and combine well.
Spread in the bottom of the spring form pan evenly.




Filling and Assembly: With an electric mixer, beat together the cream cheese, sour cream, egg, sugar and almond extract. Spread the mixture over the cake batter; spoon on the preserves evenly over the cheese mixture. Sprinkle the reserved crumbs over the top.
Bake for 45 minutes, until firm and lightly brown.

Cinnamon Cream: In a medium saucepan, combine the milk and cream and cook over medium heat until just ready to boil. Remove from heat. In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the egg yolks and brown sugar until well combined. Pour the milk mixture into the egg mixture--slowly and whisk to combine well.
Prepare a large bowl with ice and water and a second empty bowl for the custard. Return the mixture to the saucepan and cook over low heat, stirring constantly until it just begins to thicken and coat the spoon. Immediately remove the mixture from the heat and pour it into the empty bowl. Submerge the bottom of the bowl in the ice water to stop the cooking and prevent over-thickening, and stir, until slightly cooled. Stir in the cinnamon.


Refrigerate until serving.
Serve each piece of cake on a pool of custard.


*Both the cake and the cream may be made up to 24 hours in advance and then reheat the cake until warm if desired.

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Weekend Cooking is a weekley meme hosted by Beth Fish Reads
Be sure and stop by for links to other great Weekend Cooks.

The Cookbook Countdown is my own challenge--to use every cookbook I own.
You can check that out too, to see how I'm doing.