Wild Blueberry Coffee Cake with Chai Glaze

“By posting this recipe I am entering a recipe contest sponsored by Wild Blueberries and am eligible to win prizes associated with the contest. I was not compensated for my time.”

I adore wild blueberries. If you’ve never had them or think they are just a smaller version of “regular” blueberries, please do yourself a favor and pick yourself up some wild ones. The taste is so much different -sweeter and way more intense. They are especially amazing in this coffee cake recipe. It is literally packed with wild blueberries and that sweetness, offset with the spicy chai, makes for an awesome addition to any holiday brunch. If you’ve got loads of family at your house and need a sweet and fruity breakfast treat, make this for them and you’ll have some happy house guests.

We haven’t done it in awhile, but my dad and siblings and I used to go wild blueberry picking on the (small) mountain near our house. We have special blueberry picking rakes that are handheld and the end has those rake prongs. To harvest the blueberries, you scoop the rake It’s hard work, climbing mini-mountains and picking blueberries, but the pay-off is always so worth it. Bucket loads of blueberries became pies and jam and sauce or, more often, just got eaten as they were with maybe a small bit of cream. They don’t need much to enhance their flavor.

One of the reasons I love them so much is exactly because they are wild.  This makes them unique, in taste and diversity, and depending on the location and variety of blueberry, you can encounter some very complex flavor. We have them here in Vermont (not telling where – family secret lol!) but mostly they grow in Maine and Canada and are flash frozen when picked so you don’t miss out of their perfect ripeness.

Some other cool facts about wild blueberries that I didn’t know, but am happy to learn since they’re one of my favorite fruits:

• Comparing Wild Blueberries to Cultivated Blueberries – One serving of Wild Blueberries (1 cup) has 8 times the manganese, 72%more fiber and 32% less sugar
• They have twice the antioxidant capacity of cultivated blueberries. New research shows the potential health benefits of Wild Blueberries include gut health, diabetes, cancer and brain health.
• Wild Blueberry plants, because they grow wild, are genetically diverse with thousands of interlocking plants that spread across fields called barrens.

This recipe may look intimidating, with that huge list of ingredients, which is just so unlike me, but it’s a complete cinch to throw together.

Enjoy!

To learn more about Wild Blueberries, where they come from, how they’re harvested and where to find them, please visit the

Site: www.wildblueberries.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/wildblueberries
Twitter: @wildblueberries
Instagram: www.instagram.com/wildblueberries
Pinterest: www.pinterest.com/wildbberries

Soaking the Chai Tea Bags

All the wet ingredients.

Coffeecake batter.

Spread 1/2 in prepared dish.

Spread 1 cup blueberries on top.

Remainder of the batter.

Remainder of the blueberries.

With streusal topping.

Just out of the oven.

To see all the other amazing entries in the Wild Blueberry Contest, click the blue frog below.

Print Recipe

Wild Blueberry Coffee Cake with Chai Glaze

A lightly sweet and spiced coffee cake loaded with wild blueberries. Amazing with a cup of coffee or tea or for weekend brunch.

Prep Time

15

Cook Time

40

Servings

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup + 1 tablespoon unsweetened soy milk
• 3 chai tea bags (see notes)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 3/4 cup cane sugar
• 1/4 cup melted refined coconut oil (see notes)
• 3 tablespoons aquafaba (see notes)
• 1 1/3 cups all purpose flour
• 2 1/4 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt (omit if aquafaba is salted)
• 2 cups frozen Wild Blueberries

Topping

• 1/4 cup chopped pecans
• 1/4 cup old fashioned rolled oats
• 1/4 cup all purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon packed light brown sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 tablespoon ground flax seed
• 2 tablespoons melted refined coconut oil

Chai Glaze

• 1 tablespoon chai infused soy milk (reserved from previous step)
• 1/2 cup powdered sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

Prep Time 15 Cook Time 40 Servings Ingredients 1/2 cup + 1 tablespoon unsweetened soy milk 3 chai tea bags (see notes) 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 3/4 cup cane sugar 1/4 cup melted refined coconut oil (see notes) 3 tablespoons aquafaba (see notes) 1 1/3 cups all purpose flour 2 1/4 teaspoons baking powder 1/2 teaspoon salt (omit if aquafaba is salted) 2 cups frozen Wild Blueberries Topping 1/4 cup chopped pecans 1/4 cup old fashioned rolled oats 1/4 cup all purpose flour 1 tablespoon packed light brown sugar 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon 1 tablespoon ground flax seed 2 tablespoons melted refined coconut oil Chai Glaze 1 tablespoon chai infused soy milk (reserved from previous step) 1/2 cup powdered sugar 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 375F. Line an 8x8 square baking dish with parchment (for easy removal), or lightly grease with oil.
2. Add the soy milk (1/2 cup + 1 tablespoon) to a microwave safe dish. Heat slowly, in 30 second increments until scalded --- Hot but not boiling. It took 1 min 15 sec in my microwave.
3. Add chai tea bags to soy milk and let steep for at least 15 minutes. When done steeping, remove the tea bags and squeeze all the milk out of them (very important!). Remove 1 tablespoon and reserve in a separate dish to make the glaze later.
4. Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, add all the topping ingredients and mix together until it is clumping and there are no more dry bits. Set aside.
5. To make the cake: In a large bowl, combine the 1/2 cup chai infused soy milk, vanilla extract, sugar, coconut oil, and aquafaba. Mix well.
6. Add the all-purpose flour, baking powder and salt to the wet ingredients and stir until well combined. If there are lumps, give it a few quick turns with a whisk.
7. Spread half the cake batter into the prepared dish. Sprinkle 1 cup of the Wild Blueberries over the batter. Carefully spread the remaining batter over the blueberries (it's ok if it's not perfect or gets a little combined) then layer the remaining 1 cup blueberries on top. Evenly sprinkle Topping over the blueberries.
8. Bake at 375F for 40-45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let cool before glazing.
9. To make glaze: Combine the 1 tablespoon chai soymilk, powdered sugar and vanilla in a medium bowl and whisk until completely smooth.
10. Drizzle glaze on top of cooled coffeecake. You can drizzle liberally or sparingly, depending on your own tastes. I usually use just a little more than half of it because I don't like a lot of sweet but I know there are those with deeper sweet toothes. Another option is to drizzle half onto the coffee cake and serve the remainder with the cake so friends can add more if they want.
11. Cover and store at room temperature up to 3 days or store in refrigerator for longer.

Recipe Notes

1. Use high quality chai tea bags; it makes a huge difference in flavor.
2. Refined coconut oil doesn't have the coconut taste. You can use unrefined without a problem, just be aware that it will impart a definite coconut flavor to the coffee cake.
3. Aquafaba is the brine from a can of beans, usually chickpeas, but I also use cannelloni beans. That liquid in the can that usually gets drained down the sink makes an excellent egg replacement. Don't throw that stuff away anymore! :-D. Use it as is from the can. And don't worry, you won't be able to taste it.

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