Coffee Cake

This is my go-to recipe whenever we are invited to brunch. Why? Well it's simple to make, inexpensive, and always a crowd-pleaser. To illustrate this point, my son told me in the car on the way to our friends' house that the cake smelled so amazing that he couldn't wait to get there so that he could have a piece. Though I am not a coffee drinker myself, I am happy to report that this cake tastes equally as good with tea, mimosas, etc.


Topping Ingredients:

¾ cup flour
½ cup brown sugar
½ teaspoon cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon salt
4 ½ tablespoons butter, melted

Cake Ingredients:

½ cup sour cream, room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla
½ cup butter, softened
¾ cup sugar
1 egg yolk
1 whole egg
¼ plus 1/8 teaspoon salt
1 1/3 cup flour*
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/8 teaspoon baking soda

*The original recipe calls for cake flour but since I'm usually in a rush, I just use all-purpose flour. If you don't have cake flour on hand, you can make your own at home. Just measure out 1 ½ cups flour minus 3 tablespoons, then add 3 tablespoons of cornstarch. Blend together and then measure out your 1 1/3 cup for this recipe, with a little left over for another time. This cake tastes great no matter what but the purpose of using cake flour is to obtain a finer texture.

In a small bowl, combine all of the streusel ingredients and set aside. Butter an 8” by 8” square pan or an 8” round pie pan and set aside. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

In a small bowl, whisk together the sour cream and vanilla; set aside. In a large bowl, cream together the butter, sugar, and egg yolk. Stir in the whole egg and salt, mixing until the batter is smooth and the sugar begins to dissolve. Add the sour cream mixture and stir just until blended. Sift the remaining dry ingredients directly onto the batter and then stir until smooth. (Do not overmix.) Spread the batter into the prepared pan and evenly sprinkle the streusel on top. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes until the edges have browned and a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean. Let cool for 10 minutes and then serve. This cake tastes best warm and eaten on the day it was made.


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