While Easter Tuesday is the third day of Eastertide, it is rarely looked upon as any sort of Holiday, Holy Day or Day of Obligation. The only exception that I am aware of is the Australian territory of Tasmania, where it is a legal holiday for certain workers in the Public Service sector.
Today belongs to the Easter Octave. Those attending daily Mass would hear Gospel readings that focus on the events that took place after Christ’s resurrection. The historical significance of the eight days following Easter, the Octave, was to allow the newly baptized additional time to develop a deeper, more meaningful understanding of Church teachings and the faith. While the traditions of this time are no longer prominent in much of Western culture, Easter Tuesday and all of the Octave of Easter remains significant in Eastern Orthodox communities, especially in parts of Europe with a large Orthodox population.
Throughout the entire span of the Easter Season, especially in the days immediately following Easter Sunday, we are reminded of the true meaning of Easter. It is a chance to be born again in Christ. It is an opportunity to shed unwanted habits, to remove distractions and focus more in the joyful knowledge that one day we will be resurrected in the presence of God.
In days of old the Easter celebration once continued in the days immediately following Easter Sunday. Families would gather to share any leftovers from their Easter Feast. The town square or church grounds became a place to hold a pot-luck of sorts. Church doors were often left open, symbolizing Christ’s opening of the gates of Heaven with an invitation to enter. So much of our modern world gets in the way of these beautiful customs. I wish I knew of a way to rekindle the siginicance of the Easter Octave. Perhaps one way would be to open the doors of our home to others.
Today is also National Coffee Cake Day. Wouldn’t it be nice to bake a coffee cake, brew a pot of coffee, set up a table outside and invite people to come join you? We rarely see our neighbors anymore, let along interact with them. Just a silly thought.
I must confess, of all the Coffee Cakes I have baked over the years, this is my favorite. So delicious, bursting with blueberries and that sweetness of almonds.
Almond-Blueberry Coffee Cake
Almond Streusel
1/3 cup Flour
4 tablespoons Sugar
1/4 teaspoon Salt
3 tablespoons soft Butter
1/3 cup sliced Almonds
Heat oven to 350-degrees. Spray a 9-inch round deep cake pan with baking spray with flour.
Note: Springform would be great – no need to invert later.
In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, and salt. Stir in butter until mixture is crumbly. Crumble with your fingertips until desired consistency is reached. Stir in almonds.
Almond-Blueberry Cake
8 tablespoons soft Butter
1 cup Sugar
2 large Eggs
1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
1/2 teaspoon Almond Extract
1-1/2 cups Flour
1/4 cup Almond Flour
1-1/2 teaspoons Baking Powder
1/2 teaspoon Salt
1/4 cup milk
1/2 cup Sour Cream
1-1/2 cups Blueberries, divided
2 teaspoons Coarse Decorating Sugar
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat butter and sugar at medium-high speed until fluffy, about 3 minutes or so, stopping to scrape sides of bowl. Reduce mixer speed to low. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Stir the vanilla and almond extracts.
In a medium bowl, whisk together flours, baking powder, and salt. Gradually add flour mixture to butter mixture alternately with milk, beginning and ending with flour mixture, beating just until combined after each addition.
Fold in the sour cream. Spread half of batter into prepared pan. Sprinkle with 1-1/4 cups of blueberries, and top with remaining batter, smoothing top with an offset spatula.
Finish with remaining 1/4 cup of blueberries, then sprinkle with streusel and dust with the coarse sugar.
Bake in the heated oven until a cake tester inserted into center comes out clean, about 35 minutes (10-inch springform pan) or 45 minutes cake pan. Let the coffee cake cool in pan for 15 minutes.
For Regular Cake Pan: Run a sharp knife around the edge of the cake to help loosen the sited. Invert onto a regular plate, then invert again onto a wire rack to cool. Once cooled, place on a cake platter to serve.
For a Springform Pan: Simple release sides, place on a wire rack to cool until just warm to the touch. Then transfer (with bottom) onto a cake platter to serve.
The earth is full of the goodness of the Lord.
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