A tender blackberry coffee cake topped with a drizzle of sweetly spiced tahini is equally suited for weekend brunch or everyday baking. Get creative with the fruit, zest, and spice to bake up your own unique coffee cake.

The last day of August is always bittersweet. Summer is essentially over, but fall is here. School is back in session, but football season (i.e. tailgating recipe season) is ready to kickoff. I must say so long to an abundance of summer produce, but baking with pumpkin and winter squash isn’t so bad.

One thing that is all sweet and no bitter on this last day of August is today’s celebration of my blog friend Erin. She will welcome a second baby girl into her family soon, and a few other bloggers who think Erin is as sweet as I do are throwing a virtual baby shower today in her honor. (You can find links to their sweet recipes at the end of this post!)

I’m not entirely sure how I met Erin, but I can say without hesitation that my blog is better because of the work she’s put in to support our blogging community. She’s hosted a number of blog collaborations, organized a group to help us support each other’s content, left countless kind comments, and re-tweeted my content so consistently that I’m actually contemplating a return to Twitter. Maybe. Perhaps. We’ll see.

A classic coffee cake studded with blackberries and topped not with cinnamon and sugar or streusel, but with sweetly spiced tahini, is my contribution to this party. Coffee cake is made to share, and not only does this one taste great, you can customize the fruit, citrus zest, and spices you use to find your ideal flavor.

This coffee cake features flavors of lemon and cardamom with blackberries, but the flavor combinations are up to you.  Bon Appetit suggests ginger and fig also pair well with lemon zest. Other ideas include baking with cherries, cinnamon, and lime zest or pairing blueberries with nutmeg and orange zest.

Keep this delicious recipe around for the next time you crave a piece of coffee cake or need something delicious to bake for the sweet new mom in your life. Congratulations Erin! Here’s to hoping you enjoy all the sweet things to come.

A Sweet Baby Shower Menu

Moscato Cupcakes from A Joyfully Mad Kitchen

Lemon Lime Cake from I Dig Pinterest

Chocolate Peanut Butter Dip from A Savory Feast

Chocolate Chunk Strawberry Ice Cream Sandwiches from Ciao Chow Bambina

Ginger Carrot Tartlets from Savory Spin

Mini Six-Inch Strawberry Cake from The Emotional Baker

Blackberry Peach Bourbon Smash from The Crumby Kitchen

Butter Mints from Pastry Chef Online

Chocolate Zucchini Cupcakes with Coconut Whip from Crumb Top Baking

S’mores Rice Krispy Treats from Feast + West

Blackberry Coffee Cake

Yield: 8 servings

This tender coffee cake is studded with blackberries and topped with a drizzle of sweetly spiced tahini. A versatile recipe, you have the freedom to get creative with fruit, zest, and spices.

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Ingredients

For the coffee cake

• 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 large eggs
• 1 cup plain Greek yogurt
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 1 lemon, zested
• 2 cups blackberries

For the topping

• 1/4 cup tahini
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar, divided
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom

Instructions

1. Whisk the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt together in a large bowl.
2. Make a well in the center of these dry ingredients and add the eggs, yogurt, vegetable oil, and lemon zest.
3. Stir to combine, mixing until smooth, then fold in the blackberries.
4. Pour the batter into a lightly-oiled 8 x 8 baking dish.
5. Mix the tahini with a pinch of salt and 2 tablespoons of sugar. Drizzle evenly over coffee cake batter.
6. Stir the remaining 2 tablespoons of sugar together with the ground cardamom and sprinkle this over the top of the tahini.
7. Bake at 350 degrees F for 50–60 minutes. A cake tester inserted into the center will come out clean when done.

Notes

There are plenty of substitution options here if you need them.

• You can use plain, full-fat yogurt if you prefer it over Greek yogurt.
• Try lime or orange zest in place of lemon. No matter what citrus you choose, add about 2 teaspoons of zest.
• Fresh or frozen blackberries are fine for this recipe, just make sure any frozen berries you use are fully thawed before folding them into the batter.
• If you don't like cardamom, sub ground cinnamon or ginger instead.

Recipe slightly adapted from Bon Appetit magazine, September 2017.