Blackberry Sour Cream Coffee Cake

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...This simple cake makes a wonderful addition to your summer brunch table. Here in Oregon, we are harvesting blackberries and Marionberries, and this year's crop is abundant and flavorful. Save for raspberries, this year's berry crop has been disappointing, so it's nice to know that blackberries have also managed to escape this summer's cane fruit curse. I found this recipe on the Betty Crocker website and it looked so good I had to give it a try. It did not disappoint. I must admit I used fresh berries rather than the frozen ones recommended in the original recipe. I was afraid that thawed blackberries would lose their shape and bleed into the cake batter, so I used still firm, fresh from the field, berries for my coffee cake. I know that those of you who try this recipe will be pleased with your results. The cake stays moist for several days and it freezes beautifully, so it can be made well ahead of serving and free you to enjoy brunch with your family and friends. You'll find the cake is sweet enough to please the most ardent sweet tooth, but it is not cloying. Here is how it is made.

Blackberry Sour Cream Coffee Cake...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite courtesy of Betty Crocker

Ingredients:
Blackberry Filling
1-1/4 cups frozen (thawed and well drained) blackberries
1/2 cup finely chopped pecans
3 tablespoons granulated sugar
1-1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
Coffee Cake
2-1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1-1/4 cups granulated sugar
1 cup butter, softened
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 large eggs
1 cup (8-oz.) sour cream
Powdered Sugar Glaze
1-1/2 cups powdered sugar
3 to 4 teaspoons water

Directions:
1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and lightly flour bottom and side of 10-inch angel food (tube) cake pan.
2) To make blackberry filling: Mix blackberries, pecans, granulated sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl. Set aside.
3) To make coffee cake: Mix flour, baking powder and baking soda together in another bowl. Set Aside.
In large bowl, beat granulated sugar, butter, vanilla and eggs with electric mixer on medium speed 2 minutes, scraping bowl occasionally. Beat in flour mixture alternately with sour cream on low speed.
Spread one-third of the batter in pan. Sprinkle with half of filling. Spoon another one-third of the batter by tablespoonfuls over filling. Sprinkle with remaining filling. Spoon remaining batter over filling, using an offset spatula to spread batter evenly.
4) Transfer pan to oven and bake for 55 to 65 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes, then remove cake from pan to wire rack. Cool completely, about 1 hour 30 minutes.
5) Meanwhile, in small bowl, stir powdered sugar and water until glaze is smooth and thin enough to drizzle. Drizzle over cooled coffee cake. Yield: 10 to 12 servings.