Most of the pastries I make these days go to those hard working engineers that my husband and I work with. There is nothing more that an office worker loves, than a homemade treat to brighten up their day. It really surprises me when they ask “and you made it from scratch?” Of course I did! I hope these hard workers are getting at least some of their meals from home! Anyways, my weekly scheduling meeting is the perfect time to share my homemade treats. Not only do I get to brighten up someone’s day, but I also take away the temptation of eating everything myself. Win -win, I think.
I had to search around for a recipe that I wanted to try, and coffee cake sounded like a good idea since most people in my office drink coffee. Perfect paring, don’t you think? What I wanted from a coffee cake recipe was a moist cake, cinnamon flavor, and a crumbly topping. This recipe delivered! The cake portion was super moist and sweet! It just kind of melted in your mouth. The crumb gave the cake the cinnamon flavor and some good texture. I might look for a way to get the crumb to get into bigger chunks or maybe swirl something in the middle next time, but otherwise, this cake will satisfy your craving! I highly recommend it!
One thing that surprised me about this recipe was that I had to cut in the softened butter, then mixed it thoroughly after. Very different. I am used to only cutting in really cold butter, then barely mixing or handling the dough afterwards. This is what gives pie crusts and biscuits their flakey texture. Maybe the this new way is what gives the cakes is soft texture? I wonder what would happen if I just creamed in the butter like typical recipes….maybe for another post.
Lessons Learned:
- Press the crumble into the cake batter to make sure it sticks. It also makes a little mess when you cut the cake, so prepare yourself for cleaning up.
- Make more than you think you need if sharing. It will be eaten up quickly!
- If using a different sized pan, watch it carefully towards the end of the baking time so it does not over bake.
- I never have buttermilk at home, so I always just use regular milk with a bit of vinegar as a substitute.
- I made this cake the night before, and it was still moist the next morning.
- 1 Tbsp flour, to coat pan
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- 1 cup + 2 Tbsp granulated sugar
- 1 tsp salt
- 10 Tbsp unsalted butter, slightly softened
- 1 tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp baking soda
- ¾ cup milk
- 1 Tbsp vinegar
- 1 large egg
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- ⅔ cup brown sugar
- 2 tsp ground cinnamon
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Rub interior of a 9" spring form pan (or 9" square) with a little oil, then add 1 Tbsp of flour to the pan. Tap the pan to spread the flour around the pan until the bottom and sides are coated with flour.
- Add the vinegar to milk in a cup and set aside to thicken.
- Wisk together flour, granulated sugar, and salt in a large bowl. Cut in the softened butter until it looks grainy. Separate 1 cup of flour mixture and add the brown sugar and cinnamon. Mix well so cinnamon is evenly distributed and set aside.
- With the larger amount of remaining flour mixture, add the baking powder and baking soda. Wisk to fully incorporate baking powder and soda. Add milk mixture, egg, and vanilla. Wisk until smooth. This will take strong arms or a electric mixer.
- Pour batter into coated pan. Evenly distribute the cinnamon crumble mixture over the batter. Press it into the batter lightly. Bake for 45-55 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
- Let cool in the pan until cake is at room temperature before serving. Enjoy!
(inspired by Sally’s Baking Addiction)
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