This coffee cake is SO GOOD! I make it every year for my husband to bring into work to celebrate a co-worker’s birthday. Crumb cake is her favorite. In the past, I have even doubled it so that we can keep one at home. Decadent. This recipe is from The King Arthur Flour Baker’s Companion: The All-Purpose Baking Cookbook.
Yield: two 8-inch round coffeecakes, or a 9 x 13-inch pan, or a 9 or 10 inch tube pan.
Crumb:
- 2 1/2 cups (10 1/2 ounces) unbleached all-purpose flour
- 1 1/4 cups (8 3/4 ounces) sugar
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 1 cup (2 sticks, 8 ounces) butter, melted
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 3/4 tsp almond extract
Cake:
- 8 T (1 stick, 4 ounces) butter
- 1 cup (7 ounces) sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 cup (8 ounces) sour cream
- 2 cups (8 1/2 ounces) unbleached all-purpose flour
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 tsp baking powder
- confectioners’ sugar, for dusting
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease the preferred pan(s).
For the Crumb:
- In a medium sized mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, salt, and cinnamon.
- Melt the butter in the microwave or small saucepan and add the extracts to it.
- Pour the flour into the butter mixture and mix until all the butter is absorbed and you have a uniformly moistened crumb mixture. Set aside while you make the cake batter.
For the Batter:
- In a large mixing bowl, cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
- Add the eggs one at a time, and beat between additions. Scrape down the mixing bowl, then beat in the vanilla and sour cream.
- In a medium-sized bowl, whisk the flour, baking soda, salt and baking powder together. Add to the butter/sour cream mixture, mixing until evenly combined. Do not over-mix!
- Pour the batter into the greased baking pan(s). Crumble the crumb mixture over the top, until the batter is completely covered.
- Bake for 20 to 25 minutes for 8-inch rounds, 30 to 35 minutes for a 9 x 13-inch pan, or 35 to 40 minutes for a 9- or 10-inch tube pan, or until a tester inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Remove the cake from the oven and cool on a rack; dust the top with confectioners’ sugar, if desired.
