Ina Garten's Blueberry Crumb Cake

Most of you know how much I love Ina Garten (The Barefoot Contessa) She.is.my.idol. Whenever I'm looking for something classic, decadent and delicious, she's my go-to girl. I wanted to bake something for my Habitat for Humanity committee meeting this morning and I'd considered the standard blueberry muffins, banana bread, etc. however I was in the mood for something a little different. Perhaps a little known fact: I am rather passionate about breakfast pastries. If I could eat a warm flaky croissant, a super sized crumbly muffin or cheese danish every morning for the rest of my life...I'd be in HEAVEN. This regimen however is not particularly kind to the thighs/waistline- this is really unfortunate. Thus when I do indulge, I want to make it count. I'm so glad I branched out because I think Ina's Blueberry Crumb Cake recipe turned out beautifully. (You can follow the link to the recipe in case you're confused.) I followed Ina's instruction exactly except for one minor change. I was out of lemons so in place of the lemon zest, I added 1/2 tsp almond extract. It gave the cake that little extra something. I've switched to using organic cane sugar in place of processed white sugar most of the time and I think it might actually sacrifice a bit of the sweetness. I sprinkled the top of the cake/streusel topping with some extra cane sugar before baking. It added a little extra sweet kick as well as a crunch. I baked the cake in a 9 inch springform pan versus a plain round one. It makes for a nicer presentation of the whole cake seeing as you can't actually turn the cake out out of the round pan without losing your streusel- you'd have to cut your slices in the pan and then serve them. I would also say that this recipe serves 8-10 generously (Ina's recipe says 6-8) and that I bet it would freeze really well too. Its nice to have something special on hand for breakfast when you have overnight guests. Thank you Ina, for yet another wonderful addition to the portfolio of delicious homemade goodies.