Today's my mom's birthday.  It's not one of those super-duper "decade" birthdays or even one that ends in a 5.  But a birthday is a special day no matter what number it is.

We planned to visit Mom yesterday for her birthday, since the idea of driving home after a birthday visit on Friday of Fourth of July weekend is not a pleasant idea at all.  We live over 2 hours south of Mom, so we'd be driving right in the thick of the vacationing hordes.

I offered to bake something for Mom, something we could stick a candle in and sing "Happy Birthday."  Blueberries are in season right now, and she loves blueberry muffins and my blueberry coffee cake, so I thought that one of those would do.

But Mom said no--she's watching her figure these days, and she figures that if I make her a blueberry coffee cake, she'll be tempted to eat too much of it.

In honor of my mom's birthday, here's my recipe for Blueberry Coffee Cake.  It's great for a birthday breakfast or anytime.

This is an easy cake to make: "from scratch" hardly takes longer than "from a mix." Don't be afraid to get your hands right into that topping--it's the only way to mix it properly. I get a lot of repeat requests for this cake.

1 1/4 cups flour
1/3 cup sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
pinch salt
1 teaspoon vanilla
4 tablespoons butter or margarine
2/3 cup milk
1 egg
1 cup blueberries

TOPPING
6 tablespoons flour
4 tablespoons butter or margarine
8 tablespoons sugar
2 teaspoons cinnamon

This cake can be prepared a day ahead. Just cover the cake with Saran wrap and refrigerate. Take it out of refrigerator about 1 hour before baking.

Sift dry ingredients. Cut in shortening. Add milk, egg, and vanilla. Fold in fruit. Pour into greased pan, 8" square or round.
Mix topping ingredients until crumbly. Sprinkle topping over batter. Bake 25 minutes at 400.

Makes 6 to 8 servings.

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