Cinnamon Swirl Coffee Cake
During my first year of college, my roommate and I shared an addiction for two things: coffee and coffee cake. We had this obsession for finding the circular streusel covered pastries in all of the dining facilities that would accept our Dining Dollars (a great and not-so-healthy-way of using up our dining plan!). We were successful in our search to say the least; and I was also successful in contributing to my "freshman ten." Nevertheless, I haven't been scavenging for these delicious pastries nearly as much as I did my first year, but that didn't stop me for searching for recipes to make a homemade version instead.
I made a 9x13 pan of this cake a week ago on Monday, and it was all gone by Wednesday. Simply, this recipe was a huge hit amongst my friends.
Personally, I was really happy with how this turned out. The cake was really moist, thanks to some Greek yogurt and almond milk (I'm not lactose intolerant, but this stuff is so tasty and definitely added something to this baked good). The cinnamon swirled throughout the cake was perfectly distributed, and the the streusel coating on top was in plenty supply. Each bight provides a nice balance of cake and cinnamon-sugar sweetness. The texture of the streusel on top gives a slight graininess that balances out the soft cake.
The only thing I may change, or warn all my readers who are considering making this cake, is that this recipe makes a whole lot of streusel. Even afte baking for an hour, this particular sugar-topping doesn't bake into the cake. Rather, it receives an extra crisp, but sits on top of the cake. Therefore, when you accidentally are carrying a piece of cake up to your room and you trip along the way, you will have a nice sugary mess all over yourself and on the floor!
Nevertheless, I highly recommend making this cake. It's a great companion with a cup of coffee (hence it's name), or as a dessert, or even a mid-day snack! Enjoy!
Cinnamon Streusal Coffee Cake
Recipe Adapted from The Baker Chick
Yields: 9x13 Pan Filled
Ingredients:
Streusel Topping:
2/3 cups granulated sugar
3/4 cups All-Purpose Flour
1/2 tablespoon cinnamon
4 tablespoons butter, melted
Filling:
1 cup brown sugar, light or dark
1 1/2 tablespoons cinnamon
1 teaspoon unsweetened cocoa powder (for color not for taste- you can leave it out if you want)
Cake:
3/4 cup butter softened
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
1/3 cup brown sugar
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
3 large eggs
3/4 cup plain Greek yogurt (regular would be ok.)
1 1/4 cups milk (anything from skim to whole)
3 3/4 cups All-Purpose Flour
Steps:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease a 9x13 pan, or two round 9 inch round cake pans.
2. Make the topping by whisking together the sugar, salt, flour and cinnamon. Add the melted butter, stirring till well combined. Set topping aside.
3. Make the filling by mixing together the brown sugar, cinnamon, and cocoa powder. Set it aside.
4. To make the cake: In a large bowl, beat together the butter, salt, sugars, baking powder, and vanilla until well combined and smooth.
5. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition.
6. In a separate bowl, whisk together the yogurt and milk till well combined. You don't need to whisk out all the lumps.
7. Add the flour to the butter mixture alternately with the milk/yogurt mixture, beating gently to combine.
8. Pour/spread half the batter (about 3 cups) into the prepared pan(s), spreading all the way to the edges. If you're using two 9 inch round pans, spread 1 1/3 cups batter in each pan.
9. Sprinkle the filling evenly atop the batter.
10. Gently spread the remaining batter atop the filling. Use a table knife to gently swirl the filling into the batter, as though you were making a marble cake. Don't combine filling and batter thoroughly; just swirl the filling through the batter.
11. Sprinkle the topping over the batter in the pan.
12. Bake the cake until it's a dark golden brown around the edges; medium-golden with light patches showing on top, and a toothpick or cake tester inserted into the center comes out clean about 55-60 minutes for a 9x13 inch pan, 50-55 minutes for the 9 inch round pans. When pressed gently in the middle, the cake should spring back.
13. Remove the cake from the oven and allow it to cool for 20 minutes before cutting and serving. Serve cake right from the pan.
What I Did Differently:
1. I used some regular and some unsalted butter (who doesn't love butter?).
2. I used Fage! This is my favorite greek yogurt, and I think it definitely makes a difference if you're going to use Greek versus regular yogurt. Greek yogurt is a lot thicker, hence your cake will be a tad denser!
3. I used Silk Almond Milk. It is delicious, and I think it added a hint of nutty flavor to this cake (if you have nut allergies, stick with regular milk!).
4. I swirled my filling as much as possible, I'm happy I did so because the filling is by far the best part!
