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Weekend Cooking is a weekly foodie meme hosted by Candace over at Beth Fish Reads. You don’t have to save your post for the weekend, but I like to!
Today, one of my best friends from high school is coming over with her two girls. Over the years we’ve lost and got in touch many times but our children have never seen each other. So today’s the day. The younger kids will probably hit it off but since our older kids are pretty shy, I think getting them to make this coffee cake together will help break the ice.
This coffee cake is one more excellent recipe from the Back in the Day Bakery Cookbook by Cheryl and Griffith Day. I’ve already shared the Cinnamon-Sugar-Doughnut Muffins in an earlier Weekend Cooking post. The cake is light and moist and will leave you wishing that you made two. Maybe I’ll make two this time!
Cinnamon-Sour Cream Coffee Cake
Serves 8 to 10
Ingredients for the Streusel
¼ cup packed light brown sugar
½ cup unbleached all-purpose flour
1 ½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
3/4 cup chopped pecans (optional)
3 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into cubes
For the Cake
2 ½ cups cake flour (not self-rising)
2 teaspoons baking powder, preferably aluminum-free
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon fine sea salt
¼ teaspoon ground cardamom
12 tablespoons (1 ½ sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 ½ cups granulated sugar
3 large eggs, at room temperature
1 ½ teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1 ¼ cups sour cream
For the Glaze
¾ cup confectioners’ sugar
3 tablespoons honey
2 tablespoons water
Position a rack in the lower third of the oven and preheat the oven to 350◦F. Spray a 10-inch tube pan with vegetable oil spray and line the bottom with a ring of parchment.
To make the streusel: In a small bowl, combine the brown sugar, flour, cinnamon, salt, and pecans, if using. Cut in the butter with a pastry blender until the crumbs are the size of peas. Put the topping in a covered container and set in the freezer while you mix the cake batter.
To make the cake: Sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cardamom; set aside.
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or in a large mixing bowl, using a handheld mixer), cream the butter and granulated sugar for 4 to 5 minutes, until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Add the vanilla and sour cream and mix just until blended.
With the mixer on low, add the flour mixture in thirds to the butter mixture, mixing until just combines and no streaks of flour are visible; scrape down the sides of the bowl as necessary.
Scrape half the batter into the prepared tube pan and spread it evenly with a spatula. Sprinkle with ¾ cup of streusel. Spoon the rest of the batter into the pan, spreading it evenly, and top with the remaining streusel.
Bake for 50 to 60 minutes, until a cake tester inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean. Let the cake cool in the pan on a wire rack for 30 minutes.
While the cake cools, make the glaze: Mix the confectioners’ sugar, honey, and 2 tablespoons of water together in a small bowl. Set aside.
Turn the cake out of the pan, then invert onto a serving plate, with the streusel side up. Use a fork to drizzle the glaze over the top of the cake. Wrapped in plastic wrap, the cake will keep at room temperature for 2 to 3 days.
