A sweet bite
“What’s in a name? That which we call a rose
By any other name would smell as sweet.”
As the Bard calls a name, what is it that we call a coffee cake? In Ireland and the UK, a coffee cake is a butter cake, often an iced layer cake, flavored with coffee. In the US a coffee cake is a sweet treat to have with morning coffee, brunch or afternoon tea. These cakes are usually quick to mix, sometimes contain fruit and often have a streusel topping. They are simple, comforting cakes, not in the realm of fancy patisserie.
ingredients
baking pan lined
American style coffee cakes most likely stem from a German, Dutch, or Scandinavian tradition of home cooking where the little sweet bite with morning coffee was a part of the day’s ritual. They have been adapted into yeasted versions as well, but the common one is a sour cream cinnamon crumb coffee cake.
I remember seeing supermarket shelves stacked with Entenmann’s coffee cakes in shallow white bakery boxes with cellophane windows and blue lettering. It was the crumb coffee cake that captured the most attention. Although I never tasted the bakery version, I was keen on finding a good recipe. Several years ago, I adapted a version from a Cook’s Illustrated Best Recipe book that’s been a mainstay. Here’s a quick mix cake that needs no fancy equipment or special ingredients. It uses yogurt, nowadays more commonly on hand instead of sour cream: a cake to stir up at a moment’s notice. It’s moist, just sweet enough and lovely with morning coffee or brunch. It freezes well and keeps for a couple of days in a sealed tin. Bring the sweet smell of cinnamon into your winter kitchen with a crumb coffee cake, maybe even a last minute valentine.
Crumb Coffee Cake
8 oz. all-purpose flour (1 ¾ cups)
6 oz. sugar (scant ¾ cup)
½ teaspoon salt
4 oz. unsalted butter (1 stick)
¾ teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 ½ oz. soft brown sugar (1/4 cup gently packed)
¾ teaspoon baking powder
3/8 teaspoon baking soda
1 egg plus plain whole milk yogurt to measure 6 fl. oz. (3/4 cup)
1 teaspoon vanilla
Butter an 8-inch square baking tin and dust with flour, or line with overlapping sheets of parchment. Preheat over to 350°F.
baking pan lined
Combine AP flour, 6 oz. sugar and salt in a mixing bowl. Rub in the butter to make a crumbly mixture. Remove 4 oz. (a scant cup). Add cinnamon and brown sugar to the 4 oz. (to make a streusel) and set aside.
flour mixture
streusel
Sift baking powder and soda over remaining flour mixture and whisk together. Beat egg, yogurt and vanilla in a measuring cup.
measure 6 fl. oz.
mix egg, yogurt and vanilla
Make a well in the center of the flour mixture, pour in the liquid and whisk strongly for at least a minute (batter will be thick). Scrape batter into the prepared pan. Spread evenly and top with the cinnamon struesel. Bake for 30-35 minutes or until tests done. Cut into 16 squares or 36 bite sized pieces to serve with coffee.
make a well
thick batter
oven ready
baked
Mary Jo’s Cookbook
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