A truly good coffee cake is simple and yet complex; sweet yet not offensively so, and of course it goes well with your morning coffee!
The Brits have their version, the Germans have their version, and of course, Americans have theirs. For many years my favorite was Julia Child's version. Then, one lazy Saturday afternoon, while watching
Cook's Country, I heard that the First Ladies of the Kitchen, Bridget Lancaster, and Julia Collin Davison, were going to share their version of a Coffee Cake.
My brain went into high gear, I grabbed some paper and pen and began writing things down fast and furious.
Most coffee cakes (alas, including Ms. Julia's) had always seemed too dry to me, especially since I was never a big coffee drinker and The First Ladies' Kitchen-Tested Recipe passed the moistness test!
I did, however, make a bit of a change. You'll find out what it is as we go along ;)
The Topping:
- 1 cup cooled, toasted pecans
- 1/3 cup packed brown sugar
- 1/2 cup flour
- 3/4 tsp cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 4 tbsp melted, cooled unsalted butter
- 1 tsp water
- Pulse the pecans until they're very small but not sandy.
- Add the brown sugar and process both to a fine meal.
- Add in the flour, cinnamon, and salt and give it five, 1-second pulses.
- Add in the melted butter and the water and pulse 8-10 times, in 1-second pulses. It should be like wet sand.
- Completely remove from the processor bowl and set aside.
The Cake
- 1 2/3 cups flour
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 3/4 tsp salt
- 7 tbsp unsalted butter, slightly soft (newly room temperature)
- 3/4 cups milk
- 1 egg + 1 yolk
- tsp vanilla
- In the processor bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, cinnamon, baking powder soda, and salt, pulsing for about 10 seconds to mix.
- Add in the unsalted butter (cubed) and pulse in 5-8 5-second pulses. Should come out a sandy consistency.
- Add in the milk, eggs, and vanilla and pulse 4-5 times in 1-second pulses, stop and scrape and repeat.
- Using a springform pan (THIS IS IMPORTANT AS IT REALLY RISES!) prepare the pan by flouring.
- Pour in and spread and top with the topping (the streusel), beginning at the sides (slightly pressing it down) and working into the middle.
- Bake at 350 for 45-55 minutes or until it no longer jiggles in the middle.
HINT: cook it with a pan underneath to catch any overflow.
Cool for 15 minutes and remove from the form to finish cooling for another two hours.
NOW HERE'S MY TWIST:
Make a second batch of the streusel and, when you fill the pan with the batter halfway, lightly layer in 1/2-3/4 of the streusel before filling the pan the rest of the way. Make sure to leave around 1/2" of edge all around so the batter "seals" in the streusel.
You will need to let it cool longer before removing it from the springform.