This will probably be my last post for a few weeks. I’ve got a major exam coming up and baking is too easy a procrastination device. So the best thing for me to do is just to give baking a break for a little while, then make something extra special once the pressure has eased off a little bit.
I wanted to make something simple this week, and at first glance this cake seemed straightforward. There were a few more steps than I had bargained for, but the end result was worth it. I wanted to make something that reminded me of home. My parents would sometimes buy these delicious streusel cakes from the supermarket and the were the ultimate decadent Sunday morning “breakfast”.
I know most of the Canadianisms and Britishisms after living so long in the UK, but I learned a few things in the process of making this cake. Firstly, none of my flatmates had any idea what “streusel” was. I think they were imagining some weird pastry thing. Streusel, as I understand it, is a bit like a crumble topping. It is sweet, cinnamony and sprinkled over cakes and muffins. Secondly, “coffee cake” is a concept that exists in North America that doesn’t appear to exist here (to be fair, I’m saying this based on N=5). For me, coffee cake is a simple cake, usually a sheet cake, that is just consumed with coffee – no coffee flavouring required. So when I announced I was making a “streusel coffee cake”, I received some puzzled looks.
I got this recipe off the King Arthur Flour website. Recipes on these company websites are often good recipes that had stood the test of time. This one is no exception. The only modification I made to the recipe was to toss in about 50g of chopped walnuts. I would consider adding more next time as I liked the occasional crunch they added. I wouldn’t change any other part of the recipe and so I’ll just link you to the original recipe rather than copying it out here.
The cake itself is very, very rich and delicious. The generous amount of streusel topping is everything it should be – crumbly, cinnamony, and sugary. The cake itself is sturdy and supports the filling and the streusel well, but it is still moist and has a good crumb. Finally, the filling tastes exactly like the inside of a cinnamon bun. It is gooey and very cinnamony. My normally hardcore cake eating flatmate even suggested I cut them into smaller pieces! ;)
This makes a large amount of a cake – a full 9″x13″ pan. I think I will be freezing the other half of this cake and saving it for a special brunch, maybe the weekend after I’m done my exam!
Here is the link to the recipe. It is available in both cups and grams.
Happy baking!