I can’t believe it’s already the middle of the summer! Where is the time going?! I don’t know about you, but there are certain things in life that I’ll never miss (are you with me?) – like school traffic, homework, lost lunchboxes, teacher emails, and rushing to get dinner on the table before a 2 1/2 hour school night concert!! Yes, these are things I feel confident I’ll never miss!
And why, oh why, does it seem like summer just races by, and the rest of the school year just plods along? I know the answer, but whyyyy????!!!!
Ugg! But instead of focusing on the inevitable drudgery that is the school pick up/drop off line, let’s focus instead on happier things . . . like cake. And not just any cake – soft, buttery cake, with crispy cinnamon sugar streusel on top.
Be sure to put this on your “to bake” list for the summer, and add a side of fresh fruit – you know, so it’s “healthy.” Then throw on your swimsuit and jump in your neighbor’s neighborhood pool, and swim off those extra calories, because they were so worth it!
Just a few notes – this recipe is for an 8 inch cake, which is the perfect size for small families, or larger ones (that just don’t want lots of leftovers). If you do find yourself with any leftovers, I highly recommend freezing individual slices, and then rewarming them in the microwave on defrost, until the cake reaches the temperature you desire.
As a side note, my nephew and I made this coffeecake together this summer – we doubled the recipe, but I forgot to increase the baking time. Don’t be like me! If you double the recipe, please, oh please, remember to increase the baking time! I believe it took 50-60 minutes to bake a 9 x 13 pan.
Sour Cream Coffee Cake Adapted from Sally’s Baking Addiction
Streusel
1/3 cup packed brown sugar (light or dark), I used dark in the photo above
1/2 cup flour
2 teaspoons cinnamon
3 Tablespoons salted butter, cold & cut into chunks
Cake
1 1/4 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon coarse kosher salt
1/2 cup unsalted butter, slightly softened
3/4 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
3/4 cup sour cream (full fat)
Glaze
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1 splash of vanilla
2 Tablespoons milk or water
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line an 8 x 8 inch pan with foil and spray with nonstick spray. Set aside.
For the streusel, in a food processor, place all of the ingredients for the streusel, and process until it looks like coarse sand. Transfer to a small bowl and set aside (covered) in the refrigerator until you are ready for it.
For the cake batter, Using a stand mixer with the paddle attachment (or handheld beater) beat the butter on high for 1 minute. Add the sugar, and beat for another 2 minutes.
Scrape down the bowl, and add the eggs one at a time, beating after each. Beat in the vanilla, sour cream, baking powder, baking soda, and salt – just until combined.
Beat in the flour, just until combined. Scrape the bowl, and mix the batter by hand with a rubber scraper one final time.
Pour half the batter into the prepared pan, and smooth out with a rubber scraper. Sprinkle the cake batter with half of the streusel mixture. Pour the remaining cake batter on top of the streusel, carefully spreading the batter over the streusel. Then top with the last half of the remaining streusel.
Bake the cake for 25-30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean. Let the cake cool in the pan for about 20 minutes. Then carefully remove the cake from the pan by lifting the foil edges to heft it out. Alternatively, you could simply serve the cake straight out of the pan after glazing.
For the glaze, place powdered sugar in a small bowl, and whisk in the milk and vanilla. If the glaze is lumpy, simply add more powdered sugar and whisk until smooth. Drizzle the glaze over the cake.
Store any leftovers covered at room temperature for up to 4 days. Or freeze individually wrapped slices for about 1 month – reheat (unwrapped) cake slices in the microwave on defrost until warm.
Blondie and Brownies 