Bumpy Fruit Ahead.

Every time I buy candy-lookalike little berries at the market, I like to pretend I just picked them straight from the bush, still warm from the sun.

I also go on to daydream about which fruits and vegetables my future garden will be full of: all sorts of berries, apples, oranges, kale, Brussels sprouts, fennel, beets, heirloom tomatoes, carrots, parsley, basil, and blah-di-blah, blah, blah.
I don’t even know if I have a green thumb or not. The only thing I ever grew was a bean from the bean experiment in science class, and unlike other science class experiments, that one actually worked. So all signs point to…maybe?

But back to the berries…

Since I finally managed to locate vegan sour cream at a nearby store, I baked raspberry sour cream mini coffee cakes in a shallower-than-usual muffin pan, which made for rather cute results.
And when I say mini, I mean individual. Not mini like mini cupcakes, just in case you thought a yield of 6 to 7 was kind of ridiculous.
Chaz really, really loved these, but I think coffee cake-style stuff isn’t my cuppa after all. Bummer for me, but clearly not for him, if the fact that they were gone in the blink of a pie is any indication.

Raspberry Sour Cream Mini Coffee Cakes:

For the streusel:
1/2 cup (63 g) all-purpose flour
1/3 cup (63 g) granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
3 tablespoons (45 ml) vegetable oil, or 3 tablespoons (42 g) nondairy butter, melted

For the cakes:
1/4 cup (56 g) nondairy butter
1/2 cup (100 g) granulated sugar
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons (90 g) vegan sour cream
1/2 cup (120 ml) any nondairy milk
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 cup (125 g) all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
3/4 cup (92 g) fresh raspberries

To make the streusel: Combine the flour, sugar, and cinnamon in a small bowl. Work the oil or melted butter (add slowly, you might not need all of it) into the preparation, just until coarse crumbs form. Set aside.

To make the cakes: Preheat oven to 400°F (200°C, or gas mark 6). Line 6 to 7 holes out of a standard muffin pan with paper liners. Cream the butter and sugar together with an electric mixer. Add the sour cream, milk and vanilla. Stir to combine. Add the flour, baking powder, and salt on top. Stir just to combine. Gently fold the raspberries into the batter.
Divide the batter evenly into each paper liner: the cakes don’t rise a whole lot while baking, but aim for the batter to reach just below the liner. Generously cover with streusel, pressing it down slightly.

(If you have leftover streusel, leave the oven on when you’re done baking the cakes, spread the streusel on a parchment paper- or Silpat-lined cookie sheet, and bake 8 to 10 minutes, until golden brown and crunchy. You can add that to your morning oatmeal, ice cream or yogurts.)

Bake 30 to 35 minutes, or until the cakes are light golden brown on top: note that it seems that because of the sour cream, they take a bit longer to tan than other baked goods would, despite the high oven temperature. Let cool on a wire rack.

Yield: 6 to 7 mini coffee cakes