Blueberry Coconut Cake with Spiced Streusel

A cake to celebrate this week's Democratic National Convention

I can’t remember a Democratic National Convention I’ve been as charged up for.

(Please click the heart-shaped “like” button to make the algorithm as giddy as possible. And, if you can support my recipe development with a paid subscription, thank you so much for making this all possible. And even if you can’t afford a sub now, you can help by sharing this substack with all your friends. Thank you all!)

I’m also not sure I’ve ever been quite as amused and pleased with how a candidate’s campaign has handled her opponent.

I’m looking forward to watching the convention every night. I look forward to the Bidens and Clinton tonight, and importantly, to hear from the women whose physical welfare was profoundly affected by the Dobbs decision. I know President Obama will be nice to see, but Michelle Obama, too? Now that’s a way to fire up a room full of people. Coach Walz on Thursday night! Go, fight, win! And then, the star player, the woman whose name really is only supposed to be pronounced one way, Kamala Harris. Golly. That’ll be some TV for us politics hounds.

But we must keep ourselves nourished, and in the spirit of the other election cakes and bakes I’ve offered recipes for over the years, I offer you a blueberry and coconut cake with a thick streusel spiced with allspice and nutmeg. I bet you know why I’ve chosen all those ingredients.

Mind you, if you don’t like coconut, feel free to leave it out. Don’t have allspice? Ignore it, or substitute coconut. Don’t have any extract in the house but vanilla? Add lemon or lime zest. It’s a liberal cake after all.

And to my readers who object to my including politics in this substack I apologize. I’ve lost readers because of this, but I think this election is too important—Trump and Project 2025 are brutally clear about their plans for the United States—to not discuss it. Also, if you follow my podcast, The Secret Life of Cookies (which will be coming back in force in September), you know that mixing baking and the news is what I do.

And to all my loyal readers and the new friendly faces out there, thanks for being part of all this with me.

Blueberry Coconut Cake With Spiced Streusel

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Blueberry Coconut Cake with Spiced Streusel

Makes one 8 or 9” cake

You’ll need an 8 or 9”x 2” round or square pan

What You’ll Need:

For the streusel:

1 cup (116 grams) all-purpose flour

1/2 cup (106 grams) brown sugar

1/4 cup (25 grams) shredded, sweetened coconut

1/4 teaspoon ground allspice

1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg

6 tablespoons (85 grams) butter

For the cake:

1 1/2 cup (180 grams) all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

4 tablespoons (56.5 grams) butter, softened, and cut into 8 pieces

3/4 cup (150 grams) granulated sugar

1 large egg, room temperature

3/4 teaspoon coconut extract

1/4 teaspoon lemon extract (or 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract)

1/2 cup (4 fluid ounces) milk

1/2 cup (50 grams) sweetened, shredded coconut

3/4 cup (110 grams) fresh blueberries

What You’ll Do:

1. Heat the oven to 350°F/180°C. Grease and flour your baking pan.

2. Make the streusel: Whisk together the 1 cup flour, 1/2 cup brown sugar, the coconut and the allspice and nutmeg. Cut in the butter with two knives, or, use your finger tips to mix in the butter until small and large crumbles form. Set aside.

3. Make the cake: In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside.

4. In the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment (or with a hand mixer), beat together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes, scraping down the bowl at least once.

5. Add the egg, the coconut and lemon (or vanilla) extracts and beat until fully absorbed.

6. Add half the milk and mix in fully. Mix in half the flour mixture until just absorbed. Repeat with the rest of the milk and then the flour. Scrape down the paddles and sides of the bowl. Beat the batter on medium speed for 30 seconds. Fold in the blueberries and coconut by hand. Pour the batter into the pan and smooth the top, then sprinkle generously with the streusel evenly over the top. Bake for 45 to 60 minutes(depending on which size pan you used), or until golden on top and a toothpick poked into the middle of the cake comes out clean or with just a few moist crumbs. (If the top begins to get too dark before the cake is done, lay a piece of aluminum foil loosely over the top.

7. Let cool. Give slices to anyone who has checked they are still registered to vote. Serve with ice cream in honor of President Biden.

Will you watch the convention? Would you rather just read about it the next day, or get the highlights from social media? If you aren’t watching the convention, what are you watching or doing instead? No judgments, just asking!

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