Coffee Cake

Coffee Cake Recipe

Printer Friendly Page

Sitting leisurely in the morning with a slice of Coffee Cake and a steaming cup of coffee, is one of life's little pleasures. While this may not be possible on busy weekdays, it does make for a very special weekend treat. This Coffee Cake is rich and buttery with a nice tender crumb. What sets this Coffee Cake apart from other types of cakes is its' vein of streusel running through the center, as well as on top, of the cake. The streusel, when baked, becomes slightly crunchy with a nice grainy texture which contrasts so well with the softness of the cake. I love to serve this cake while it is still warm from the oven with, if I dare, a dollop of softly whipped cream. 

Coffee Cakes are the informal cakes, the ones for everyday. Although called a "Coffee" Cake, they do not contain coffee. The name more often refers to how the cake is eaten - in the morning with a cup of coffee. They differ from a regular cake in that they are not multi-layered and are not filled and frosted with an icing. However, both types of cake do use a similar batter, albeit a coffee cake batter is richer in taste and texture because of the addition of sour cream. (You can replace the sour cream with plain yogurt for a lighter cake.)The amount of butter, eggs, and sour cream contained in the batter determines how rich the cake will be. Coffee cakes are instantly recognizable by their streusel topping ('streusel' is German for 'sprinkle') made from a delicious mixture ofsugar, flour, and spices to which nuts and sometimes chocolate chips,fruit, or oats are added. The streusel can be used both as a filling and as a topping for coffee cakes. Coffee Cakes are best the day they are made and, if possible, serve them warm from the oven.

Coffee Cake: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (177 degrees C) and place rack in center of oven. Place the nuts on abaking sheet and bake for 8-10 minutes or until fragrant and lightly browned. Let cool and then coarsely chop. Set aside. Coffee Cake Topping: In a small bowl stir together the sugar, chopped nuts, chocolate chips, ground cinnamon and flour. Set aside. Butter and flour (or spray with a non stick vegetable/flour spray) a 9-inch (23 cm) spring form pan. Line the bottom of the pan with a circle of parchment paper. In a separate bowl whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside. In the bowl of your electric mixer (or with a hand mixer), beatthe butter until softened (about 1 minute). Gradually add the sugar and continue to beat until light and fluffy (about 3-4 minutes). Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in the vanilla extract. With the mixer on low, add the flour mixture (in three additions) and sour cream (in two additions) alternately, starting and ending with the flour. Mix only until combined. Spoon half of the batter into the prepared pan, smoothing the top with an offset spatula. Sprinkle about half of the nut topping on top of the batter. Cover with the remaining batter and then sprinkle with the remaining nut topping. Bake for about 40 - 50 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the middle of the cake comes out clean. Remove from the oven and let rest for about 10 minutes before releasing the sides of the pan. Serve warm or at room temperature. Makes one - 9 inch (23 cm) cake.

Coffee Cake Topping:

1 cup (100 grams) walnuts or pecans

1/4 cup (50 grams) light brown sugar

1/3 cup (50 grams) minichocolate chips

3/4teaspoongroundcinnamon

1 tablespoon (12 grams) all purposeflour

Coffee Cake:

2 cups (200 grams) sifted cakeflour

3/4teaspoonbaking powder

1/2 teaspoonbaking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

10 tablespoons(140 grams) unsaltedbutter, room temperature

3/4 cup (150 grams) granulated white sugar

2 largeeggs

1 teaspoon pure vanillaextract

2/3 cup sour creamor plain yogurt