If the people have no bread, let them eat cake! ~attributed to Marie Antoinette, Queen of France (1774-1793)
Every Monday, for a month, I've brought a cake to school. The first two Mondays, I consulted Martha Stewart's Baking Handbook and tried two recipes: Classic Crumb Cake and Brown Sugar Pound Cake. Though the crumb cake was recommended for beginners, I found it disappointing; the top tasted floury rather than crisp and sweet. However, the pound cake was a success. The week after that, I made a Caramel Apple Cake, and last Monday, a Toll House Chocolate Chip Bundt Cake. The last two are old favorites from our years living in Milwaukee.
This Monday's cake is a Streusel Coffee Cake. The topping has melted into the surface of the cake creating caramelized craters of brown sugar. The cinnamon smell is wonderful. While the cake was still warm, I sliced it into squares and tested a piece. It was moist and the texture light. The topping was crunchy. I realized that Streusel Coffee Cake is almost exactly like the Classic Crumb Cake I made the first Cake Monday. According to the dictionary, streusel means "crumb." I like this Streusel recipe better because that Crumb Cake recipe called for 4 cups of butter. No one needs that much butter! To the Streusel Cake recipe I've added instructions about how to cut and fold the batter and I do recommend rotating the pan halfway through baking. Try this recipe as I'm sure you'll love how easy it is to make.
Streusel Coffee Cake from southernfood.about.com
Topping:
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup sifted all-purpose flour (sift before measuring)
1/4 cup butter, room temperature
1 teaspoon cinnamon
Cake:
1 1/2 cups sifted all-purpose flour (sift before measuring)
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 egg, beaten
3/4 cup sugar
1/3 cup melted butter
1/2 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
In a small mixing bowl, combine topping ingredients. Blend with a fork until crumbly. Set aside.
Sift 1 1/2 cups sifted flour with baking powder and salt into a bowl. In a large bowl, beat together beaten egg and 3/4 cup sugar and 1/3 cup melted butter. Add milk and vanilla.
Put half of flour mixture in a sifter and sift it over the batter. Cut and fold the batter. Use a spatula to cut the batter in the center of the bowl until you touch the bottom. Move the spatula towards you. At the edge of the bowl, lift and turn over the spatula. Turn the bowl one quarter turn and repeat. When there are tiny streaks of flour in the batter, sift in the other half of the flour mixture. Cut and fold. Stop when there are tiny streaks of flour in the batter and it loses its shiny appearance.
Pour batter into a greased and floured 8-inch square or 9-inch layer-cake pan. Sprinkle topping crumb mixture evenly over batter. Bake at 375° for 25 to 30 minutes, or until cake tests done. Rotate the cake halfway through the cooking time. It should turn a deep golden brown and the edges should begin to pull away from the sides of the pan. Partially cool in pan on wire rack. Cut coffee cake into squares while still warm.
This Monday's cake is a Streusel Coffee Cake. The topping has melted into the surface of the cake creating caramelized craters of brown sugar. The cinnamon smell is wonderful. While the cake was still warm, I sliced it into squares and tested a piece. It was moist and the texture light. The topping was crunchy. I realized that Streusel Coffee Cake is almost exactly like the Classic Crumb Cake I made the first Cake Monday. According to the dictionary, streusel means "crumb." I like this Streusel recipe better because that Crumb Cake recipe called for 4 cups of butter. No one needs that much butter! To the Streusel Cake recipe I've added instructions about how to cut and fold the batter and I do recommend rotating the pan halfway through baking. Try this recipe as I'm sure you'll love how easy it is to make.
Streusel Coffee Cake from southernfood.about.com
Topping:
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup sifted all-purpose flour (sift before measuring)
1/4 cup butter, room temperature
1 teaspoon cinnamon
Cake:
1 1/2 cups sifted all-purpose flour (sift before measuring)
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 egg, beaten
3/4 cup sugar
1/3 cup melted butter
1/2 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
In a small mixing bowl, combine topping ingredients. Blend with a fork until crumbly. Set aside.
Sift 1 1/2 cups sifted flour with baking powder and salt into a bowl. In a large bowl, beat together beaten egg and 3/4 cup sugar and 1/3 cup melted butter. Add milk and vanilla.
Put half of flour mixture in a sifter and sift it over the batter. Cut and fold the batter. Use a spatula to cut the batter in the center of the bowl until you touch the bottom. Move the spatula towards you. At the edge of the bowl, lift and turn over the spatula. Turn the bowl one quarter turn and repeat. When there are tiny streaks of flour in the batter, sift in the other half of the flour mixture. Cut and fold. Stop when there are tiny streaks of flour in the batter and it loses its shiny appearance.
Pour batter into a greased and floured 8-inch square or 9-inch layer-cake pan. Sprinkle topping crumb mixture evenly over batter. Bake at 375° for 25 to 30 minutes, or until cake tests done. Rotate the cake halfway through the cooking time. It should turn a deep golden brown and the edges should begin to pull away from the sides of the pan. Partially cool in pan on wire rack. Cut coffee cake into squares while still warm.
