Cuppa Coffee Cake Please!

Seems like I’m in a nostalgic cooking mood lately.  What’s my latest sentimental whim?  Coffee cake…..  There are so many variations of coffee cake from bisquick, to cinnamon swirl, sour cream, fruit in or out, crunchy top, with or without nuts.  The options are endless.  However, there is only one way to have coffee cake in my books, and that’s the classic way.  I must admit that I’m a purist when it comes to this cake – no fruit for me please.  My vision of the perfect coffee cake is a buttery, cinnamon, brown sugar topping sitting on a moist scrumptious sweet bread.  I call it a sweet bread because it’s not really a traditional cake.  The cake itself is not too sweet since the sugar delivery method is the topping.  Yummm did someone say sugar delivery method???

No matter how you like your coffee cake, one thing is for sure – the baking smells coming from your kitchen will surely give you that warm comfy feeling of home.     

Go ahead and make yourself a hot cuppa coffee and enjoy this awesome treat.

Classic Coffee Cake

Crumbs

1/3 cup white sugar

1/3 cup packed dark brown sugar

1/4 teaspoon salt

3/4 teaspoon cinnamon

8 tablespoons butter, melted and cooled slightly (one stick)

1 3/4 cups cake flour

Cake

1 1/4 cups cake flour

1/2 cup white sugar

1/4 teaspoon table salt

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

6 tablespoons butter, softened but still cool

1 teaspoon vanilla

1/3 cup buttermilk

1 large egg

1 large egg yolk 

Place a rack in the upper-middle position of the oven. Preheat oven to 325°F.

In a bowl, combine white sugar, brown sugar, salt and cinnamon, mixing well with your fingers until there are no lumps. Add melted butter and stir until smooth. Stir in cake flour until fully combined. Set aside at room temperature for about 15 minutes.

In work bowl of a standing mixer, combine flour, sugar, salt and baking soda using the paddle.  With the mixer running on medium-low, add the butter 1 tablespoon at a time, waiting until each piece breaks down before adding the next. Continue mixing until it has a uniform sandy texture. (If working by hand, cut butter in with pastry cutter until very fine.).

Add the vanilla, buttermilk, egg and egg yolk. Run mixer on medium-high until batter is smooth and fluffy like, at least 1 minute, or use a handheld electric mixer.

Spray an 8"-square baking pan with non-stick spray. Spread the batter into the prepared pan.

Break the crumb mixture into pieces the size of large peas or small pebbles. Spread crumbs around the outer edge of the pan first, then evenly fill in the center.

Place pan in preheated oven for 35-40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the pan comes out clean. Cool cake in pan 30 minutes. Dust top with powdered sugar if ya want.  Enjoy!

 

 

Up close shot to show the texture