Coffee Cakes

Peach or Blueberry Crumb-Topped Cake 

Use a 10" tube pan (Bundt pan) for this cake that serves 12-16.

• 3/4 cup butter, at room temperature
• 1-1/2 cup sugar
• 3 large eggs
• 2 tsp pure vanilla extract
• 1-1/4 cups sour cream
• 2-1/2 cups cake and pastry flour
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 2 ripe peaches, diced OR 2 cups blueberries

Crumb Topping:

• 1 cup cake and pastry flour
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1/3 cup butter, at room temperature
• 1 tsp salt

1. In a mixer, cream 3/4 cup butter and 1-1/2 cups white sugar together for 10 minutes.
2. Add 3 eggs, one at a time.
3. Add 2 Tsp vanilla and 1-1/4 cups sour cream.
4. In a separate bowl, sift 2-1/2 cups flour with 2 tsp baking powder, 1/2 tsp baking soda, 1/2 tsp salt.
5. Whisk to mix.
6. Gradually beat into batter on low speed.
7. With wooden spoon, stir in fruit.
8. Spoon batter into buttered and floured 10" tube pan.
9. Tap pan on counter to release air.
10. Make crumb topping by mixing flour with brown sugar, butter and salt with your fingers  until crumbly. Sprinkle on top of cake.
11. Bake in preheated 350 degree F oven 45-50 minutes until browned and a cake tester comes out clean. Thermometer inserted into middle of cake should register 185 degrees F.
12. Cool cake on a wire rack.

Raisin-Walnut Sour Cream Coffee Cake

Makes 12 servings, about 525 calories each.

• 2-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp kosher salt
• 1-1/2 cups chopped walnuts
• 3/4 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/2 cup raisins
• 1 cup granulated white sugar
• 1 cup unsalted butter at room temperature
• 3 large eggs
• 2 tsp pure vanilla extract
• 1 cup sour cream
• vegetable shortening and extra flour for greasing the pan

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
2. Grease an angel food cake pan with solid vegetable shortening, rubbing in any crevices of the pan. Then flour the pan.
3. In medium bowl, whisk: flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt. Set aside.
4. In another medium bowl, combine chopped walnuts, brown sugar and cinnamon.
5. Transfer 1-1/2 cups of this mixture to a third bowl and mix in raisins. Set aside.
6. Using electric mixer, on medium, beat white sugar and butter, 2 minutes.
7. Beat in eggs one at a time, then vanilla.
8. On low speed, mix in flour mixture until just combined.
9. Add 1 cup sour cream and mix until just combined. Batter should be very thick.
10. Spread half of batter evenly into prepared pan.
11. Sprinkle batter with raisin-walnut mixture.
12. Top with remaining batter.
13. Sprinkle with walnut mixture.
14. Bake in preheated 375 degree oven for 30 minutes.
15. Reduce oven temperature to 300 degrees F.
16. Continue baking 20-25 minutes more or until wooden pick inserted into cake comes out clean.
17. Cool cake completely in pan, on a wire rack.
18. Remove cake from pan and place on cake board or serving plate, slice and serve.

To make cake ahead of time

Cooled cake may be wrapped in plastic and frozen three days before serving.

Take cake from freezer one hour 15 minutes before serving and let thaw to room temperature.

If desired warm the defrosted cake in the oven  before serving.

Mona's Apple-Orange Coffee Cake

My neighbour, Mona, surprised us with this cake at Thanksgiving. It was so good. She was nice enough to give us the recipe too.

• 4-8 apples, cored and peeled
• 5 Tbsp white granulated sugar
• 5 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1 cup vegetable oil
• 4 large eggs (or 3 extra-large eggs)
• 1/4 cup freshly squeezed orange juice
• 1 tsp. grated orange rind
• 1 Tbsp vanilla extract
• 3 cups all purpose flour
• 1 Tbsp baking powder
• 1 tsp. salt
• 2 cups white granulated sugar

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Line a rectangular 9 x 12 inch cake pan OR a 10" round pan with parchment paper.
3. Grease the sides and dust with flour.
4. Cut each apple into slices and combine with sugar and cinnamon. Set aside.
5. In a large bowl, beat together oil, eggs, orange juice, orange rind and vanilla.
6. Sift together flour, baking powder, salt and sugar.
7. Add flour mixture all at once to oil and egg mixture.
8. Stir just until well blended.
9. Batter will be very thick.
10. Spread half the batter in the prepared cake pan.
11. Arrange half the apple slices on the batter.
12. Cover with remaining batter.
13. Arrange the rest of the apple slices on top.
14. Sprinkle excess cinnamon and sugar from apples on top.
15. Bake 1 hour or until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.

Apple Bundt Cake

• 4 eggs
• 2-1/2 tsp. real vanilla extract
• 1/3 cup milk
• 1 cup vegetable oil
• 2 cups granulated white sugar
• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 3 tsp. baking powder
• 5-6 peeled, sliced apples
• 1/4 cup white sugar mixed with 2 tsp. cinnamon

Sift together flour and baking powder. In mixer, combine eggs, vanilla, orange juice, oil. Gradually, at low speed, add sugar, then flour mixture. Mix at medium speed for 10 minutes till well combined. Pour a third of the batter into a greased and floured bundt pan (twelve cup size.) Place half the apple slices over the batter. Sprinkle with cinnamon-sugar mixture. Pour another third of the batter on top. Place the rest of the apple slices over that. Sprinkle with the rest of the cinnamon/sugar. Pour remaining batter on top and bake in preheated 350 degree F oven 1 hour or more till done.

Upside Down Apple or Pear Cakes

Maple Upside Down Cake

Makes 8 to 10 slices.

Topping:

• 1/3 cup dark amber-coloured maple syrup
• 1/4 cup packed brown sugar
• 1/4 cup chopped toasted pecans or walnuts
• 3 Bosc pears or Granny Smith Apples, peeled, quartered, cored, cut into 1/4 inch slices

Cake:

• 1/2 cup softened butter
• 3/4 cup packed brown sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 Tbsp vanilla
• 1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp cinnamon or cardamom
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• pinch salt
• 1/2 cup sour cream

1. Grease a 9-inch round cake pan.
2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
3. In a small saucepan over medium-high heat, heat maple syrup and sugar until mixture begins to bubble. Boil gently 1 minute, stirring constantly. Pour into greased cake pan. Sprinkle with chopped nuts.
4. Arrange fruit slices over maple mixture in concentric circles overlapping each other slightly. Set aside.
5. In a large bowl in electric mixer on medium speed, beat together 1/2 cup butter and 3/4 cup brown sugar until fluffy, 3-5 minutes. Add 2 eggs one at a time, beating after each addition. Beat in 1 Tbsp vanilla.
6. In a separate bowl, combine 1-1/2 cups flour, 1 tsp cinnamon, 1 tsp baking powder, 1/2 tsp baking soda, pinch salt. Mix well.
7. Add 1/2 cup sour cream and flour mixture alternately into egg mixture (a third of flour mixture and half of sour cream at a time.)
8. Scrape batter into pan over fruit and smooth carefully, not moving fruit slices.
9. Bake about 45 minutes or until tester inserted in centre of cake comes out clean.
10. Let cook in pan on rack 20 minutes.
11. Invert cake onto serving plate and remove cake pan. Scrape any remaining maple glaze from pan onto cake.

Large Apple Cake in a Pan

Baked in and served from a large cake pan, this cake is great to take to a large family gathering. Add powdered sugar, lemon icing, or serve while still warm with ice cream.

• 4 cups sifted all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 1/2 cup white granulated sugar
• 3/4 lb (1-1/2 cups) unsalted butter
• 2 beaten eggs
• 6-7 apples
• 3/4 cup white granulated sugar
• 1 tsp. cinnamon
• 1 cup icing sugar
• 1/2 lemon, juiced

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.

Grease a 9 x 13 inch cake pan.

Peel, core and grate apples.

Sift flour, baking powder and salt into a large bowl.

Mix in sugar.

Use a pastry blender or two forks to cut in butter.

Add beaten eggs.

Use clean hands to blend into a soft cake dough.

Spread half the dough in the bottom of the greased pan.

Spread grated apple on top.

Mix cinnamon with 3/4 cup sugar and sprinkle over apples.

Crumble the rest of the dough with your fingers, sprinkling on top of the apples (don't press it down.) 

Bake in preheated 325 degree oven for 55 minutes.

Remove cake from oven.

If not serving with ice cream while warm, allow cake to cool completely.

Then dust with icing sugar, or ice.

Make lemon icing by adding lemon juice gradually to icing sugar, mixing in just enough to make a spreadable icing.

Cut iced cake in squares to serve.