Multigrain Blueberry Coffee Cake

This recipe is from the blog project of a friend of a friend, who said, "I thought you'd be interested in this project, Cooking with My Kid." Of course I was.

This friend of a friend is cooking with [her] kid, every day for a year. It's a very ambitious project, and I should know because I cook with my boys sometimes, and they LOVE it, and sometimes I love it, but some days I'm just not in the mood for "helpers."

So let's just say 365 recipes in a row, in 365 days, would likely push me over the edge.

With all this in mind, it's cold and snowy/rainy outside, my oldest kid is in school, and my youngest is watching Diego. I can't compete with Diego. So my plan was to whip up this Trader Joe's Multigrain Coffee Cake myself and eat it. Except that by the time the blueberries thawed, Diego was long over, so I had a helper too. He's a good little stirrer.


You may know that there isn't a Trader Joe's for miles, indeed we have to drive a state or two to find one. I shopped there last month when we were in Tucson, but forgot about this recipe, so sadly I don't have any Trader Joe's Multigrain Pancake Mix.

When I remembered I really wanted to make this cake, I picked up the closest thing I could find (while I was in the store with no list in front of me, so let's just hope for the best), Hodgson Mill Insta-Bake Whole Wheat Variety Baking Mix with Buttermilk. Again, we're hoping for the best here. You can make pancakes with this insta-bake stuff, so it's got that in common with TJ's. We'll see...

The cake was really calling out to me for a streusel topping and maybe some nuts, but I opted for a mix of raw sugar + cinnamon instead.


I baked it in a 9-inch pie plate, for about 35 minutes.

This is a tasty coffee cake, definitely can taste the multigrains in it. Although the raw sugar added a bit of a nice crunch, I will definitely add a streusel topping next time.


My little helper just asked for another piece. I said, "it's so yummy!" And he said, "Yeah! And I love it! 'Cause if I didn't like it, I would be sad."



Multigrain Blueberry Coffee Cake
adapted from Cooking with My Kid
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cooking Time: 25 to 40 minutes

1 egg
1 cup buttermilk (I used about 1-2 tablespoons vinegar + milk to equal 1 cup)
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 1/2 cups multigrain pancake mix
1/2 cup sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 1/2 to 2 cups fresh blueberries (I used frozen berries, thawed)

For topping: 2 tablespoons sugar mixed with 1 teaspoon cinnamon (I used raw sugar for this)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease mini loaf pans or a 9-inch baking dish.

In a large bowl whisk together egg, buttermilk and oil. Add pancake mix, sugar and cinnamon. Stir until just blended. Fold in blueberries.

Transfer mixture into prepared loaf pans or 9 inch baking dish. Sprinkle top with cinnamon sugar mixture.

Bake for 25 to 40 minutes depending on pan. Coffee cake is done when top is golden brown and toothpick comes out clean.