Skip to main content

The best coffee cake



Until very recently, I thought a coffee cake meant a coffee flavored cake. Go ahead, laugh all you want - I was quite confused when I saw all those nut and cinnamon cakes with not a drop of coffee in sight. So that's when I realized we were talking about cakes you eat with coffee. Cakes usually topped with a delicious buttery crumble mixture. This first coffee cake I baked also happens to be my best cake so far. I can't personally vouch for this being the best coffee cake in the world, but who am I to argue when the Pioneer Woman says so.

It's also pretty simple to put together. I halved the original recipe to fit my 7 inch round pan but remember that it calls for 3 eggs so it might be a bit tough to halve (I spilled half an egg white when separating eggs so you can say it was purely accidental in my case).

For the cake layer, you soften 75 grams salted butter and cream it with 2/3 cup sugar. Sift together 1 1/2 cups flour and 2 tsp baking powder. Measure out 1/2 cup milk. Add 1/3rd of flour+baking powder to the creamed butter, mix , then add 1/3rd the milk you have and mix to combine. Similarly add the rest of the flour and milk in stages until it is all mixed in. In another clean bowl, beat 1 1/2 egg whites until stiff. Drop the egg whites on top of the cake mixture and gently fold them in. Line a 7 inch round tin with parchment and spread the batter.

Now we make the crumble topping. This is different from what Ree did so pay a little attention. Soften 75 grams butter. Mix with 1/2 cup flour, 1/3 cup brown sugar, a tbsp of cinnamon and 3/4 cup chopped walnuts. Now add 1/3 cup rock sugar - I don't really know what it's called but these are large brown chunks of sugar, almost like candy. And they are what made the cake topping so special by adding that butterscotch like crunch.

Sprinkle/spread the crumble topping on the cake batter and bake at 180C for 45 minutes, or until a cake tester comes out with no crumbs sticking to it. I let it cool a little before trying to take the cake out of the pan but it was still very very soft so be a little careful when cutting it into slices.
Labels:

Comments

Indian Khana said…
Looks yum...never tried coffee cake yet..
June 27, 2010 at 4:05 PM
notyet100 said…
looks delicious,..
June 27, 2010 at 7:10 PM
Nora said…
I made the same mistake - and still get put off when I see 'coffee cake' (not being a coffee fan). I must learn to remember that they are usually scrumptious looking things, such as this one. Looks delicious.
June 28, 2010 at 3:15 AM
RV said…
Even I had that perception on Coffee cake Sims, so you are not alone. This looks really delicious and I will have it anytime of the day
June 30, 2010 at 1:21 AM
Unknown said…
Now that even you've endorsed this cake, I'm making it, like, now!!
July 3, 2010 at 1:06 AM
Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Kadhi Chawal

I just can't think of what to write today. That's what my absolute favorite meal does to me, I just want to stop talking and dig right in. So I won't ramble and go straight on the recipe for kadhi. First, make the pakoras that would go in the kadhi. Slice an onion lengthwise. Make a batter with 1/2 cup chickpea flour (besan), salt, red chilli powder and water. Dip onions in this batter and deep fry until crisp. Keep aside. Now blend 1 cup yogurt and 1/3 cup besan into a paste. Add 3-4 cups water to make a very thin blend. Heat a tbsp of oil in a pan. Add a tsp each of mustard seeds, cumin seeds, ajwain (carom seeds) and methre (fenugreek seeds). Let splutter for a few seconds. Now add a large onion, cut lengthwise into thin slices and cook until browned lightly. Pour in the yogurt/besan mix and add 1 tsp turmeric powder, 1 tsp salt and 1/2 tsp red chilli powder. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat and let simmer for at least half an hour. You have to stir this occasio...
17 comments
Read more

Bibimbap

This is the reason I love taking part in Taste & Create . There is so much new to learn and try when you meet new partners. This month, I am visiting Kitschow in Vancouver for a course in Asian cooking. She also tries a lot of other cuisines, but wok is her favorite way to cook. I first thought I'd find very little vegetarian choice at her place. But as luck would have it, she has recently done a lot of vegetarian cooking and eating for lent and I had a virtual rainbow to pick from. Everything looked so delicious it was tough to pick one. I picked the one with the cutest name : Bibimbap . Bibimbap is a Korean rice, usually topped with beef and vegetables but Kitschow made a vegan version for Lent. The recipe has three parts. First you cook the rice. Then, when it's almost done but is still moist, you arrange vegetables on top so it looks colorful and pretty. For the vegan version, Kitschow just put raw veggies there and let them cook in the steam. But I liked the i...
13 comments
Read more

Dukkah

Talk about myths busted. I went to Dubai planning to buy zat'ar, the fragrant herb and spice mix. And Dukkah, the interesting blend of nuts and spices. Not sumac, because I still have a pack left in my fridge. So zat'ar was easy - every Carrefour supermarket had that one. But no one had dukkah and I was like, how can they not have dukkah? It's a middle eastern thing, right! But well, they don't sell dukkah in Dubai, so I came back and armed with recipes from 10-odd blogs (all roughly the same), I set to make my own. The key to making dukkah is : line up all your ingredients, toast each of them separately in a heavy non-stick pan till they are fragrant and lightly roasted, then put everything in a blender and grind coarsely. This is your dukkah. Now dip your bread in olive oil, then dip it in dukkah and indulge. A final word of warning: this can be highly addictive. And finally, my list of ingredients: 1/4 cup almonds 2 tbsp coriander seeds 1 1/2 tbsp sesame...
14 comments
Read more