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Coffee Cake

Photo: Aya Brackett

BY The Editors

PUBLISHED February 21, 2024

The classic breakfast or brunch cake, equally good for dessert or as a snack with a cup of tea.

 

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Coffee Cake

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Makes at least 8 servings 1x

Time about 1 hour

Units Scale

Ingredients

  • 8 tablespoons (1 stick) cold butter, plus softened butter for the pan
  • 2 cups plus 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
  • 1 1/4 cups sugar
  • 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
  • 1 cup chopped walnuts or pecans
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 egg
  • 3/4 cup milk

Instructions

  1. Heat the oven to 375°F. Grease a 9-inch square baking pan with softened butter.
  2. For the streusel filling and topping, combine 3 tablespoons of the flour, 3/4 cup of the sugar, 1 teaspoon of the cinnamon, and 3 tablespoons of the butter with the nuts; mix with your fingers until it’s just coming together. Let it sit.
  3. Cut the remaining 5 tablespoons butter into bits. Combine the remaining 2 cups of flour, the baking powder, salt, the remaining 1/2 cup of sugar, the remaining teaspoon cinnamon, and the butter in a separate bowl. Mix well with a fork until all the flour is coated with some of the butter. Or mix on low speed with a stand or hand-held mixer.
  4. Beat in the egg (still on low speed if using a mixer), then the milk, and mix until just combined. Pour half the batter into the prepared pan and sprinkle about half the streusel over it. Pour in the remaining batter, then top with the remaining streusel. Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 30 minutes. Cool on a wire rack for at least 15 minutes before cutting. Best served warm, but not bad a day or two later, reheated.

— Recipe from How to Cook Everything: Completely Revised Twentieth Anniversary Edition 

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