Blackberry Maple Coffee Cake

Ingredients:

Bread:

• 1 cup whole wheat flour
• 3 Tbs rolled oats
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp sea salt -fine grain
• 1/4 tsp fresh thyme – chopped
• 1/4 teaspoon fresh rosemary -chopped
• 1/2 stick (4 Tbs) unsalted butter @ room temperature
• 1/3 cup maple syrup @ room temperature
• 1 large egg @ room temperature
• zest of two small limes
• 2 tsp vanilla
• 1/4 cup buttermilk (3/4 tsp lime  juice or vinegar & 1/4 whole milk – mix well & let sit for 5 minutes)
• 1 1/3 cups fresh blackberries (or other berries) – well picked over

Topping:

• 1/2 cup whole wheat flour
• 4 Tbs cold unsalted butter, cut 1/4-inch cubes
• 1/3 cup sugar – preferably brown
• 1/4 tsp fresh thyme
• 1/2 cup pecans – chopped

Directions:

Bread:

1. Preheat the oven to 350F
2. Butter a 1-pound loaf pan & line with parchment paper
3. Whisk together flour, oats, baking powder, baking soda, salt, thyme, & rosemary in medium bowl
4. Set aside
5. Beat the butter with an electric mixer in separate large bowl until fluffy
6. Drizzle in the maple syrup and beat until well incorporated scrape down the sides of the bowl
7. Beat in egg, lemon zest, & vanilla  scraping the sides again
8. Add half of the flour mixture – stir just a bit
9. Add a splash of the buttermilk – stir again, but not too much
10. Add the rest of the flour & stir a bit
11. Add rest of the buttermilk
12. Stir until everything barely comes together
13. Fold in one cup of blackberries – gently
14. Pour batter into pan

Topping:

1. Place the flour, butter, maple sugar, thyme & pecans in a food processor
2. Pulse 20-30 times or until crumbly
3. Crumble 2/3 of it over the cake batter
4. Sprinkle the remaining 1/3 cup blackberries on top
5. Add the last of the crumble
6. Bake for 45-50 minutes or until toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean
7. Cool for five minutes
8. Remove it from the pan to cool on a rack

Serves 12.

(Adapted from 101 Cookbooks)