In the Kitchen, wildlife

Coffee Cake Debacle – Blame the Eagle

by Ingrid
blueberry coffee cake baked in a cast iron skillet

Being housebound isn’t all bad. The downtime has given me the opportunity to clean house, binge-watch something, get caught up on RV maintenance projects that we’ve been avoiding, binge-watch something, go for long walks, reorganize a bunch of crap stuff on my computer, binge-watch something, and finally finish editing a video that has been in the works since last August. 🥴

Quite frankly, I had put the whole YouTube channel/video stuff on the back burner. That is until I went looking for a recipe in my recipe notebook recently. When I finally found the blueberry coffee cake recipe that I was searching for, I was reminded that I had shot a video on how to make this easy blueberry coffee cake. So then I thought, ok if I’m going to post the recipe, I might as well share the video. Right?

So since we’re all stuck at home during this pandemic, I’m pretty sure many of you are cooking and possibly baking more than normal. For me, I may be baking more but only cooking slightly more since we don’t normally go out to eat on any sort of regular basis anyway. It’s usually about once a week that we’ll eat out, and I’ll admit, I’m missing that. Sorry, but carry-outs aren’t the same.

blueberry coffee cake baked in a cast iron skillet

With the whole pandemic in full swing during the month of April, Easter Sunday was naturally a little quiet for us. Of course, all along we’ve been adhering to a good practice of social distancing, but distancing from my daughter doesn’t count since I’ve been seeing her regularly ever since the beginning of this pandemic. With that said, our daughter, Ashton, joined us for Easter Sunday and we started off the day with blueberry coffee cake and mimosas. 🥂

You see, the RV park where we’ve been sheltering shortened the hours that the laundry facility is open, making the laundry room more crowded than it normally would be 😬 which kind of defeats the purpose of social distancing in my opinion. Therefore, I’ve been doing my laundry at Ashton’s place while keeping her company during lunch. I feel that’s safer than using a busy laundry facility filled with germs. Since my daughter lives by herself and is currently working from home until June 1st, she gets a little lonely and enjoys my laundry/lunch dates.

So as Easter was approaching, I decided to use up the last of the wild blueberries in my freezer to make this easy blueberry coffee cake. During Ashton’s Easter visit while enjoying the coffee cake and mimosas, we reminisced about picking blueberries in northern Wisconsin and being awed by the bald eagle family that we’d see either in the trees or hanging on the boat dock.

bald eagle in a tree with wings spread

The eagle was a routine distraction for me in Wisconsin and I was constantly jumping out of the RV to try and capture images and footage. It was a frustrating endeavor, but I did manage to capture a little video on my iPhone.  (Video deleted) Ah, distractions while trying to follow a recipe is usually a recipe for disaster. And although I didn’t encounter a disaster per se, there was a little faux pas with the failure to add an ingredient … a very important ingredient … the star of the show ingredient … blueberries. Yep, I made a blueberry coffee cake without the blueberries 🤪 I blame the eagle!

blueberry coffee cake in a cast iron skillet, picnic

Which is better … non-stick or cast-iron?

Oh well, my little mistake in my RV kitchen served as the perfect opportunity to bake a second coffee cake (WITH blueberries) and do a little experiment. Does the choice of the baking pan make a difference? Is there a pro or con to baking in a non-stick metal pan versus a cast-iron skillet?

Is one brand of all-purpose flour better than another? Yes! I’ve been a fan of King Arthur Flour products long before they started distributing across the country. I used to order their products directly and have them shipped to me, but somewhere along the way, I ended up purchasing a different brand, and this little experiment of mine reminded me that King Arthur Flour is superior. It bakes a fluffier, less dense coffee cake, and personally, I think it’s worth the extra buck or two. (This is not a sponsored post. I’m merely a happy customer.)

Anyway, if you’re looking for a tasty and easy blueberry crumb coffee cake recipe, give this one a try. And don’t forget to add ALL the ingredients. Yep, when you’re making a blueberry coffee cake, don’t forget to add the blueberries.

This summer, I swear, I won’t go out of the RV without my big camera with zoom on my person at all times and hopefully there will be another eagle family for me to photograph … but not while I’m baking 😉

Sometimes you win. Sometimes you learn!

Blueberry Crumb Coffee Cake

  • Servings: 8
  • Difficulty: Easy
  • Print

Dry Ingredients for cakeblueberry coffee cake
2 cups all-purpose
3/4 cup granulated sugar
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt

Wet Ingredients for cake
1 large egg
3/4 cup milk
1/4 cup melted butter

2 cups fresh or frozen blueberries (if using frozen, do not thaw, use frozen)

CRUMB TOPPING
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 cup butter, slightly softened and cubed

Directions: Preheat oven to 375 degrees. For the cake: In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients. In a large measuring cup, whisk together egg and milk then add to dry ingredients. With a spatula or wooden spoon start mixing then add the melted butter. Once all ingredients are incorporated, fold in the blueberries.

Transfer to a greased baking pan (9×9 square non-stick or 10″ cast-iron skillet). Set aside.

For the topping: In a small bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, and cinnamon. Cut in butter with a fork forming small pea-size crumbles. When all the butter is combined forming a crumbly mixture, top the cake evenly with the crumble, then place the cake into a preheated 375-degree oven for 30-35 minutes. (Do not overbake). Serve warm or at room temperature.

Recipe by Ingrid @LiveLaughRV.net

(This post contains affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. Thank you for your support❤ )

The King Arthur Flour Baker’s Companion: The All-Purpose Baking Cookbook
Non-Stick 9-Inch Square Baking Pan with Lid, Set of 2
Lodge 10.25″ Cast Iron Skillet

71 thoughts on “Coffee Cake Debacle – Blame the Eagle”

  1. Saw the coffee cake and immediately got butter out to make cookies! Thank you for the reminder. I do hope you get to return to northern Wisconsin it’s beautiful up there and the summers are amazing in the north woods. There is all sorts of wildlife to see and watch. Stay safe and healthy. Peace.

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    1. Yum … cookies! We had a great summer last year up in Hayward, Wi and looking forward to another fun summer on the lake. I was hoping to visit the UP but we’ll play it by ear.

      Liked by 1 person

  2. Pingback: What I Am Working On: Whatever it is, It’s all at Home | Photography Journal Blog

  3. LOL!!! You forgot the blueberries! That makes for a memorable and hilarious story. 🙂 Your recipe looks delicious. And I think it would work just fine with gluten-free flour, so thanks.

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    1. Yeah, distractions! I would think this coffee cake could easily be swapped out with gluten free flours. Please let me know if you give it a try. I’m thinking I should be watching my gluten intake. I’m feeling it 🤔

      Liked by 1 person

  6. A fun, interesting and varied video, Ingrid. Nice to include your daughter. You both have beautiful smiles! A gorgeous area to camp. Even cozy with a storm brewing when you have shelter. Goosebumps with the eagle footage. Wow! I have bookmarked the recipe. The videos are a fun addition to your blog.🙂

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    1. It was fun to do an intro with my daughter. We were so busy last summer in WI that I never really had the time to put the video together the way I wanted. So I compromised. I’m hoping to spend a lot more time behind the camera(s) this summer 🤞

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  7. Oh and my mother who baked fabulous bread about 3 times a week when I was young… only used Robin Hood Flour …but Kings Arthur for cakes.
    I found some strange flour at Frys about a week ago. It was in a clear plastic bag… but it was flour. I have not used it yet. Was thinking of baking bread… but we are watching our waistlines. And now with the heat… didn’t want to heat up the house… or me!

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    1. I wonder if you managed to find Robin Hood Flour because you’re somewhat close to Canada. Through these comments is the first time I’ve ever heard of it. When I’m in Minnesota (fingers crossed), I think I’ll look for it. For now, I’d be happy to find any flour on the shelves. Oh well, it’s too hot to bake now anyway, plus the waistline certainly doesn’t need the baked goods 🤔

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  8. Recipe looks delish! And loved seeing the Bald Eagle swimming!

    I love my seasoned cast iron skillets. I have a small one for fried eggs and one for baking(like yours) and one for sautéing. They are all Griswolds which season very easily.

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    1. I’m still not sure how I feel about the cast iron skillet. It was great for baking but I’m so used to using non-stick and very little fat that I find using it stovetop is challenging. Learning curve!

      Liked by 1 person

      1. The secret is … that it needs to be old and seasoned. My skillets in Pennsylvania are my Mom’s. Here in AZ my iron skillets were found in Pennsylvania in antique stores and brought back. My small cast iron skillet for eggs… is amazing. The eggs slide right out.

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  10. Nice video of that eagle. I’ve never seen one swim! Regarding the laundry room: it wouls make sense to have people sign up for a time slot, don’t you think??
    As soon as I get home, I’m going to try your coffee cake recipe. I might even buy the King Arthur’s flour!
    Best to you and your hubby!

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    1. Thank you Karen. If you can find the King Arthur flour (stores seem to be sold out around here), I think you’ll be happy with the results.
      That was the first time I had seen an eagle swim and was thrilled to capture it on video even if the video wasn’t of the greatest quality. 😊

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  13. You are getting good at this video thing! so natural 🙂
    I might try that coffee cake when the blueberry season comes around and use my iron skillet. So what is the temp if you are using the iron skillet?

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    1. Ah, thanks ML. Everything is the same whether you use non-stick or cast iron. Just remember to coat the cast iron skillet with a generous amount of butter. Hope to see you soon 😀

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  14. Here in Canada I am a solid Robin Hood flour fan. Your blueberry cake, with or without blueberries looks delicious!
    I’m with your thinking on the laundry and making the safest choice.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Yeah, the busy laundry room makes me uncomfortable plus I’d rather have the excuse to hang with my daughter. You’re the second person to comment about Robin Hood flour. I am definitely going to have to try it (need to find it first 😏). Hmm, wonder if I can convince my husband to visit a grocery store in Thunder Bay this summer!

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  15. You’re such a natural on video, Ingrid! And it’s a great, fun story to combine with a helpful tutorial. Definitely a winning combo for a video. And now, I want some blueberry coffee cake… with or without blueberries. Honestly, they both sound good!!

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    1. Thanks Laura … I need all the encouragement I can get. Still not sure how much video I’ll do. I don’t have a passion for video like I do with still photography.
      We’ve been on a brownie binge lately which I know you can relate to. I need to stop or my expanding waist will get out of control (not that it’s in control 😣) Ah, it’s the little things that make quarantining manageable … that and alcohol!

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  16. Hi, Ingrid,
    Loved the video. I cook, but don’t bake, but I am tempted to give it a try after you made me hungry. During this sheltered period, I have prepared several dinners where everything is prepared in a single cast iron skillet. My favorite is pork medallions with cabbage and apples…delicious. Helen loves salmon with sweet potatoes and spinach. All are easy, as well as tasty.

    One more thing I learned from your video…I didn’t know that Bald Eagles swam or even went wading in the water for extended periods. I only thought they swept in, captured a fish with their talons and flew away. I gotta get out more. Thanks for the lesson–both of them. Stay well. Joe

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    1. One skillet meals sound perfect. I may need to start focusing on that. Unfortunately, I enjoy baking, and Al and I both enjoy devouring the results. Now that the temps in Phx have hit the 100 range, it’s time to retire the RV oven for the season. Well, maybe! If we can get to Wisconsin by the end of May, temps will be such that we’ll enjoy the RV oven again rather than the outdoor oven that’s called desert summer living. 😄

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  17. We were not full-timers, but we met a few along the way. When I read about RV parks closing down or limiting the number of guests, I wondered about those living in parks year around. I’m glad you have your spot even if the laundry is crowded.
    We sold our 5th wheel when it was not the best way for us to travel, but every time we drove down the highway [when we still could] and saw a motorhome or trailer, I would still get a little RV envy.
    For such as us, it’s not the staying in our homes that is the big problem, it is staying home. This too shall pass.

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    1. I think a lot of people will rethink full-time RVing and I see the RV world in general changing. Not sure how much change, but it’ll be different. As we’ve gotten older, we don’t travel around as much as we used to and part of me misses that. But that’s life, huh!

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  18. I laughed at your twice mentioned binge watching, Ingrid. Guilty! Even though I’m grading papers, and rarely going out of the house. How funny to be so distracted and forget blueberries! I bet it still tasted great though. That looks a like a great recipe and the flour recommendation, too. Glad you can spend more time with your daughter. I miss mine, but we chat on the phone every few days. Lovely eagle pics, one for my bucket list!

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    1. It would drive me crazy to be living so close to my daughter and then not be able to see her. However, before we get together, we always share our activities of the week and we did go without seeing each other for a 2 week stretch when we thought it best. King Arthur Flour is definitely worth the extra $ and I can usually find it at Walmart, but these days, I can’t find it anywhere. Guess I’m not meant to bake 😏

      Liked by 1 person

      1. Haha … you are too kind. I find food photography particularly challenging. I was relatively pleased with these images, but most times, photographing food is a total fail for me. Thank you!

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    1. Yum … I want your biscuit recipe. I still can’t find flour around here. Perhaps the universe is trying to tell me my waistline doesn’t want me to bake anymore … that and the 100 degree temps 🥵

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        1. Thank goodness my baking endeavors have come to a screeching halt with our soaring temps or my waistline would become non existent as I take on the shape of an apple 🙄

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  20. Wow! Amazing eagle video. And the coffee cake debacle was so funny. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve forgotten ingredients, so your ordeal was definitely relatable. Thanks for sharing. It takes guts to admit our boo boos.

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    1. Thank you Linda. I wish I could’ve used my camera to video tape the eagle. The phone did the best it could. Oh, I make so many boo boos that I’ve resorted to laughing about them.

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  21. Ingrid, it’s so easy to get distracted when there’s an eagle involved! Your recipe sounds delicious! I used to bake bread often and King Arthur was my favorite flour for that.

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    1. I’m hoping the nesting eagle couple is around again this summer. The very last footage on the video is the juvenile screeching as it flies by. He was very vocal as mom and dad were trying to kick him out of the house and stopped feeding him 😆🦅

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  22. Funny about the blueberries. Especially, since that was the time you were filming. 🙂 I saved the recipe and will definitely try it as we now have a little oven in our room. We sure miss that in Zesty. Love the photo (and video) of the bald eagle. Plus, your digs in Wisconsin are beautiful! Take care and I hope your summer plans will work out.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. I too hope our summer plans won’t be canceled considering it’s getting a little too hot for RV living here in Phoenix. Thank goodness we have a great A/C unit. I’ll be happy to just get to WI and sit all summer if need be, which is something we’re considering. As much as I’d like to explore the UP, this summer may not be the best time to do so. We’ll play it by ear. After all, as nomads, flexibility is key. Right?

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  23. Thanks for the tip about the flour, Ingrid. With no other flour to be found, I bought Hungarian high altitude flour last week. It’ll be interesting to see if I notice a difference. Like you, I’ve been cooking and baking more than normal. The coffee cake looks wonderful. Let us know if you need a place to stop again on your way north. El Paso County starts “safer at home” tomorrow. We have been back for 3 weeks. Good to be home during this very strange period.

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    1. Yes, you are lucky to have such a beautiful home base especially during these challenging times. Thank you so much for graciously offering your driveway again. We loved our overnight/visit last year. I’ll be sure and keep you posted if we head toward your direction. We may take I-40 then angle up to KC (a new route for us), but weather will dictate.
      I always had a difficult time baking when we lived in Co Springs and kind of just gave up fighting with the high altitude. I returned to baking when we moved to Pueblo West and discovered King Arthur products.
      Glad you made it home safe and we’ll stay in touch.

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      1. You are welcome. We very much enjoyed our visit last summer as well. We have done quite a bit of landscaping since then. The dirt is slowly disappearing. Safe travels to WI when you get to go. Hopefully before it’s in the 100s every day!

        I understand the CO baking issue. Last week I made popunders! LOL I keep trying but they don’t seem to like 7000 ft! But they still tasted good with creamed turkey hash on them. I rarely use the oven in the rv so it’s a treat to bake and roast meat now that we’re home.

        And the eagle swimming was amazing. We have never seen that before. Thanks for sharing. Be well.

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        1. We’re on our second week of temps in the 100’s hitting a record or two 🥵 Hopefully, we’ll get a reprieve next week. I hear ya on the baking at 7,000 feet and the challenges … may not look good, but still tastes good. Glad you enjoyed the eagle swimming. Fingers crossed I can get in some better eagle footage this summer 🤞

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    1. I hear ya! Once we get to Hayward, we may not even do any other excursions into MN or the UP. We’ll see how life plays out, but I’m still going blueberry picking even if I have to climb a fence 🤣

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  25. Thanks, Ingrid, for the video and the recipe. Maybe Mary can do a blueberry pie for us, and I’ll make sure it will have blueberries in it. Your pictures look yummy and make my mouth water.
    Have a wonderful day,
    Pit

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  26. The crumb cake looks delicious. The only cooking I do is for survival. I am not a great chef or do I spend the day cooking. I don’t like cooking in the morning so I do it in the late afternoon in time for dinner and to have it at least a couple of days.

    i definitely don’t bake because it would be gone in a nanosecond. 🙂

    Glad you are doing well.

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    1. Oh, trust me, my husband and I know the meaning of nanosecond very well. I made a pan of brownies to take to my sister-in-laws and ended up having to make a second batch because my husband and I devoured the first batch. Yep, thank goodness I can’t find any more flour in the stores 😁

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  27. There is absolutely a difference in flour. I bake all my own bread. After our first winter south trying our various American flours I always made sure that when we headed south for the winter I had plenty of my favourite Canadian flour which is Robin Hood. I have never been able to find a flour in the USA that comes close to matching the fluffy results I consistently get from all purpose Robin Hood flour. Even the very expensive “made for bread” flours in the USA don’t match Robin Hood. The brand you mentioned is one of the best of a rather poor lot. I am told that the difference is in the amount of winter wheat versus spring wheat. Winter wheat is planted in the fall and then in spring takes off and is harvested early. Spring wheat is planted in the spring and harvested at the end of summer. Spring wheat has more of the proteins that make the flour work properly. For climate reasons, winter wheat is far less common because in a harsh winter is just doesn’t survive. So Canadians get extremely high quality bread flour (because our climate forces us to grow only spring wheat) even from the cheapest store brands. American flour not so much. Next time you are in Canada try some Robin Hood flour. I would be curious to see if you notice a difference.

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    1. Thank you for sharing the info on Robin Hood flour. I’m not surprised it’s a better product than anything in the U.S. I’d love to get back up to Alberta right before the wheat harvest. On a road trip to Calgary many years ago, I was awed by the beautiful fields.
      Ah, one of these summers we’ll get back up into Canada. Lately, it seems there’s always some obstacle. Such is life!

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        1. Yep, I don’t think we’ll see ‘normal’ for quite some time. Once we get to family property in Wisconsin, we’ll probably just sit and not explore/venture into Minnesota or the UP. Last year we barely touched on explorations due to a kitchen remodel for sister-in-law. So I was hoping to explore more this summer. I still have visions of amethyst swirling in my head 😉

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