This recipe was the grand prize winner for the Banana-Blueberry category in the Blueberries Meet their Match recip contest!
Today we hosted a potluck brunch for Ben's baby dedication. We held it at our house with many of our family and close friends. It's such a special time for our family (we did the same thing for Jackson).
For my contribution to the celebration I wanted to make something special. I've also had another idea for a recipe entry for the Blueberries Meet Their Match contest. (See my first entry here.) The challenge is to pair blueberries with a flavor that is outside of their usual "box". This time, I'm combining blueberries with bananas in a delicious, not-too-sweet coffee cake for breakfast. Bananas and blueberries are an unexpected flavor combination but it works beautifully! I've also wanted to work with mascarpone cheese, a less tangy Italian cream cheese commonly used in tiramisu, that is found in most grocery stores. This seemed like a good time to try it because I wanted to add a cheese danish element to my cake. If you can't find mascarpone, just use the same amount of (reduced fat) cream cheese.
The end result is a coffee cake that tastes like what would happen if banana bread, cheese danish, and blueberry pancakes all got together (but healthed-up a little). It's the perfect combination of flavors, moistness, and just the right amount of sweetness. This cake bakes for about an hour which gives it slightly crunchy edges and a super moist center. Oh, and of course, being filled with blueberries and bananas adds great nutritional value and fiber. It's a winner in every way.
Enjoy!
Blueberry Banana Mascarpone Coffee Cake
1/2 cup unsalted butter (1 stick), softened
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup honey
1 cup mashed bananas (from 2 bananas)
1 teaspoon plus 1/2 teaspoons vanilla, divided
2 eggs
2 cups all purpose flour
1 cup whole wheat pastry flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoons salt
1 cup low fat buttermilk
2 heaping cups fresh or frozen blueberries
8 oz mascarpone cheese*, softened
1/2 cup powdered sugar
Directions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 9 x 13 pan with nonstick baking spray.
- In a mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar together for about 4 minutes, scraping the sides of the bowl as needed. Beat in the honey and mashed bananas and mix until combined. Next, add eggs and 1 teaspoon of vanilla and mix thoroughly.
- In a seperate bowl, mix together flours, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
- Alternate adding dry ingredients and buttermilk to the wet ingredients in 3 increments.
- Fold in blueberries to batter. Pour batter into pan and set aside.
- In a mixing bowl, whip mascarpone, powdered sugar and vanilla together until well combined. Drop mascarpone mixture in spoonfuls over batter. Drag a knife through the batter to spread out the mascarpone.
- Bake for 30 minutes. Remove and cover with tin foil. Reduce oven temperature to 325 degrees and bake for 30 more minutes or until a knife inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Let cool and cut in to squares to serve.
*Cream cheese can be substituted for mascarpone cheese.
Disclosure: By posting this recipe I am entering a contest sponsored by the US Highbush Blueberry Council and am eligible to win prizes. I was not compensated for my time or supplies. All opinions are my own.
Thanks Mari. I'm so glad your family enjoyed it.
Posted by: Fresh Food Perspectives | 12/30/2013 at 05:50 PM
This coffee cake is AWESOME! I love the new combinations-very fresh and different. It was a hit with the whole family- from my 5 year old to the 1 year old.. Thanks for coming up with it Jenna!
Posted by: Maribeth Leonard Hartmann | 12/30/2013 at 04:54 PM