Coffee Cake For Morning and More

A cup of hot brewed coffee in the morning becomes even better with a slice of warm coffee cake. Most coffee cake is sponge cake to be served with coffee (hence the name) but some coffee cake actually includes coffee as an ingredient.

The coffee cake tradition, or eating cake with coffee started as early as the 17th century when coffee was introduced to Europe. It made its way to America when settlers from Europe brought their traditions with them and it has continued ever since.

One noticeable feature of a coffee cake is the absence of frosting. Instead of frosting, most coffee cake has a streusel topping and sometimes glaze made from melted butter and sugar. Typical coffee cake is made from flour, baking soda, salt, eggs, sugar, butter, and milk. A common breakfast staple, there are a variety of coffee cakes depending on the region. It is also important where the recipe originated, as well as the flavor coming from dried or fresh fruit, the choice of nuts and sometimes some cinnamon, vanilla or citrus rind like lemon or orange.

Despite its varieties, coffee cake is surprisingly easy to make and most recipes have cooking times that range from thirty minutes to an hour. There are a lot of recipes out there, a highlight of some of the popular recipes are as follows.

Cake Ingredients

1 1/2 cups sifted all-purpose flour

2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

3/4 cup sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/3 cup melted butter

1/2 cup milk

1 egg, beaten

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Topping Ingredients

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/4 cup butter at room temperature

1/4 cup sifted all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon cinnamon

Procedure

1. Sift the flour with baking powder and salt into a bowl.

2. In another bowl, beat together the egg, sugar and melted butter.

3. After that, add milk and vanilla. Then, add in flour mixture and mix well.

4. Place the batter in a greased and floured 8” square or 9” diameter baking pan.

5. To make the topping, combine all the ingredients for the toppings in a small bowl. Then mix with a fork until it will have a crumbly consistency. Sprinkle this mixture over the batter uniformly.

6. This is then baked in a preheated oven at 375°F for 30 minutes or when a toothpick inserted on the center comes out clean. The cake is then allowed to cool in the pan set on a wire rack. Then, slice the coffee cake while it is still warm.

Cake Ingredients

1 1/3 cups sifted all-purpose flour

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

3/4 cup sugar

1/4 tsp salt

1/2 cup butter at room temperature

1/2 cup milk

2 eggs

1 tsp vanilla extract

3/4 cup bittersweet chocolate chips

Topping Ingredients

1/2 cup brown sugar

3 tbsp chilled butter

3 tbsp all purpose flour

1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

a pinch of salt

Procedure

1. In a bowl, sift flour, baking soda and salt together.
2. In a larger bowl, cream butter and sugar together till fluffy and light.
3. Add the vanilla extract then beat in eggs one at a time.
4. Then add half of the flour mixture. Pour in the milk then the second half of the flour mixture.
5. Mix until lumps disappear. Then add the chocolate chips. Place the batter in a greased and floured 8” square or 9” diameter baking pan.
6. To make the topping, combine all the ingredients for the toppings in a small bowl. Then mix with a fork until it will have a crumbly consistency. Sprinkle this mixture over the batter uniformly.
7. This is then baked in a preheated oven at 350°F for 30 minutes or when a toothpick inserted on the center comes out clean. The cake is then allowed to cool in the pan set on a wire rack. Then, slice the coffee cake while it is still warm.

Cake Ingredients:

3 cups flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 1/2 cups sugar

3/4 cup melted butter at room temperature

1 cup milk

3 eggs, beaten

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

1 3/4 cups blueberries

Topping ingredients:

1 cup sugar

1/2 cup butter at room temperature

1 1/2 cups flour

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

Procedure:

1. Mix in a large bowl, flour, baking powder, sugar, butter, milk, eggs, and vanilla until a light mixture forms.
2. Then add blueberries and stir. Then the batter is placed in a greased and floured 8” square or 9” diameter baking pan.
3. To make the topping, combine all the ingredients for the toppings in a small bowl. Then mix with a fork until it will have a crumbly consistency. Sprinkle this mixture over the batter uniformly.
4. This is then baked in a preheated oven at 350°F for 40 minutes or when a toothpick inserted on the center comes out clean. The cake is then allowed to cool in the pan set on a wire rack. Then, slice the coffee cake while it is still warm.

These are just some of the many varieties of coffee cake. All it takes is a little adventurous spirit not only in terms of trying them out, but most especially in making a go at baking them. Either way, you will be hooked on the coffee cake tradition before you know it.

Do you have a favorite coffee cake? If you do, take a second to answer my hub poll or share your opinions as a comment. Good Morning!