But just what exactly is coffee cake?
Coffee cake, contrary to what the name implies, does NOT contain coffee. Its somewhere between a regular cake and a pound cake. Even though it usually contains some form of sugar, It’s not supposed to be over-the-top sweet, and is meant to be paired with a cup of coffee- hence the name!
It is hard to trace origin of coffee cakes, especially since it has had so many influences worldwide and has evolved through the centuries to result in the many different versions that we have today. However, it seems that we can mostly trace this dessert back to Danish and German roots.
There are many, many recipes for coffee cakes and I've tried many of them. But I consider this to be the best coffee recipe and, best of all, it is easy to make. This coffee cake is moist, buttery, and full of cinnamon flavor. It’s perfect as an afternoon snack, a breakfast pastry or an after dinner dessert! But it is even better, paired with a cup of hot coffee for breakfast. Don't worry. I won't snitch to Mom that you had sugar for breakfast. I'm sure that doesn't happen very often.
Even though this coffee cake is never going to be healthy, to make it a little more so, I sometimes substitute olive oil for the butter and applesauce for part of the sugar. So, without further ado, here is the recipe:
Ingredients
- 1 stick butter softened
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 1 egg
- 2 cups flour
- 2 tsp baking powder
- pinch salt
- 3/4 cup milk
Filling
- 3 tablespoons butter softened
- 1 tablespoon cinnamon
- 1/2 cup flour
- 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
Topping
- 5 tablespoon butter softened
- 3/4 cup flour
- 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon cinnamon
Instructions
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Preheat the oven to 350F.
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Cream together the butter and sugar, scraping down the sides occasionally. Add the vanilla and egg, mix in.
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In a separate bowl, mix together the flour, baking powder and salt. Add one half of it to the mixer, and when mostly combined, add the milk. Once the milk is mostly incorporated, add the rest of the flour.
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To make the filling: in a small bowl, pinch together the softened butter, flour, sugar and cinnamon until soft crumbs form.
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To make topping: add the butter, flour, brown sugar and cinnamon to a food processor and pulse until coarse crumbs form (You can cut in with forks or a pastry cutter, but I am not patient enough for that!).
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Grease a 9x9 baking pan. Pour in ½ of cake batter, and spread to all four corners. Sprinkle the filling over top, then pour in remaining cake batter, and spread carefully across the top, disturbing the filling layer as little as possible.
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Sprinkle the topping over the top and press lightly so it adheres.
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Bake in preheated oven for 45-50 minutes, until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Cool to warm on wire rack before serving.
