One wouldn’t necessarily associate coffee cake with San Francisco — that is, unless you’ve been to Hobee’s, a beloved restaurant in the Bay Area that first opened in 1974.
Mario Batali and Jim Webster know that this coffee cake is the reason that lots of folks flock to Hobee's and one of the first things they miss if they move away from the area. Their new book, "Mario Batali — Big American Cookbook: 250 Favorite Recipes from Across the USA" (Grand Central Life & Style, $40), rounds up hundreds of these regional favorites that, when bundled together in a book like this, help you see just how diverse and interesting American food culture actually is.
Sour Cream and Blueberry Coffee Cake
1 1/2 cups fresh blueberries, stems removed
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. kosher salt
2 large eggs, beaten
1 cup sour cream
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 cup granulated sugar
For the brown sugar topping:
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
2 Tbsp. unsalted butter, softened
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
For the sour cream topping:
1 cup sour cream
3 Tbsp. granulated sugar
Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 9-inch-by-9-inch baking pan with cooking spray.
For the cake: Rinse the berries in cold water and then toss them in 1/2 cup of the flour. Pour the berries in a sieve and shake the excess flour off into a bowl. Set the berries aside.
Add the remaining 1 1/2 cups flour to the bowl, along with the baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
In a separate bowl or stand mixer, beat together the eggs, sour cream, vanilla and granulated sugar until well combined. Gradually add the flour mixture and beat until a smooth batter forms.
Pour half the batter in the pan and scatter most of the berries over. Pour in the rest of the batter and drop the rest of the berries on top.
For the brown sugar topping: In a small bowl, mix together the brown sugar, butter and cinnamon. Spread over the top of the batter. Bake the cake for 30 to 35 minutes. Let cool before serving.
For the sour cream topping: Whisk together the sour cream and granulated sugar. Serve each slice of cake with a dollop of the cream on top. Serves 6 to 8.
—From "Mario Batali — Big American Cookbook: 250 Favorite Recipes from Across the USA" by Mario Batali and Jim Webster (Grand Central Life & Style, $40)
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