If there’s no coffee in it, why is it addictive?

by Katya Simkhovich

Coffee cake.  I have yet to find a coffee cake that actually contains coffee.  But to tell the truth, this cake is as addictive as if it really did have coffee in it. 

Oh, hey there pecan, brown sugar, cinnamon, cocoa, cranberry swirl.
Each time I open the bundt pan container to grab a slice I’m hit in the face with an enticing, sugary coffee cake aroma.  I’m sure that if I made a perfume out of it I could make some money.  The next most popular perfume?  Right after Dior?  I think so.

I do have a confession to make though.  This is not the first time I have made this coffee cake.  The first time I wasn’t pleased with the swirls, so I deemed it unworthy to share.  But this time, oh this time, it was perfect.  Everything I imagined it to be and more.  

Sour Cream Coffee Cake from Epicurious
Just a warning the batter can get quite stiff and it was a little difficult for me using a hand mixer.  If you have a stand mixer I highly recommend using it.  Hopefully I’ll get one for christmas ;)

Ingredients

  • 1 1/4 cups coarsely chopped walnuts – I used pecans and I toasted them a tad beforehand, letting them cool before I mixed them in with the sugar mixture.
  • 1 1/4 cups (packed) golden brown sugar
  • 4 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
  • 4 1/2 teaspoons unsweetened cocoa powder
  • 6 tablespoons dried currants – I used about 1/3 cup cranberries.
  • 3 cups cake flour – I used white whole wheat flour
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 3/4 teaspoon salt
  • 3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
  • 1 1/2 cups sugar
  • 3 large eggs
  • 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
  • 1 16-ounce container sour cream – I used light sour cream
The Fun Part:
  1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter 12-cup Bundt pan. Mix first 5 ingredients in small bowl. Set nut mixture aside. Sift flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt into medium bowl. Using electric mixer, beat butter and 1 1/2 cups sugar in large bowl until blended. Beat in eggs 1 at a time. Mix in vanilla. Mix dry ingredients and sour cream alternately into butter mixture in 3 additions. Beat batter on high 1 minute.
  2. Pour 1/3 of batter into prepared pan. Sprinkle with half of nut mixture. Spoon 1/3 of batter over. Sprinkle with remaining nut mixture. Spoon remaining batter over.
  3. Bake cake until tester inserted near center comes out clean, about 1 hour. Cool cake in pan on rack 10 minutes. Cut around pan sides to loosen cake. Turn cake out onto rack and cool 1 hour. Transfer to platter.
  4. Whisk powdered sugar and milk in small bowl until smooth. Drizzle over coffee cake. Serve slightly warm or at room temperature. (Can be prepared 1 day ahead. Cool completely. Wrap in foil and let stand at room temperature.)



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