Learn Desserts

When I purchase my white chocolate mocha at Starbucks, I always feel like something is missing.  Unless, that is, I go ahead and order a piece of Classic Coffee Cake!  Oh, yah!  Well, if you too are a big fan of that scrumptous coffee cake you can recreate it at home when ever you like.  As a matter of fact,  this recipe is way more moist than the one you can find at Starbucks!  Another benefit of making it yourself is the fact that it will be as fresh as your fresh brewed cup of coffee.

The Story of~ Granny Coffee Cake

An Old Sweet Fable

Many, many years ago there was a sweet little ol’ lady who lived in a road side cottage, all alone.  She loved to visit with and entertain neighbors, travelers and other passerby’s as often as she had the chance.  To her guests, she wanted to be able to offer them a delicious sweetmeat, as cake was then referred to as, to go with the tea or more often, the coffee she might have on hand.  Remembering a type of spongy cinnamon cake her mother used to make, and with a few secret ingredients, she came up with her own delicious version of a cinnamon cake to serve from her humble cottage.  Being of German decent, she decided to finish off her cake with a granule type of streusel topping.  Many of her guests were so impressed with the sweetmeat she shared with them, that the little ol’ lady, who many called Granny, began to have a reputation for her cakes, which she called Coffee Cake.  Local folks even started placing orders for the cake to take on their journeys or just to take home to enjoy.  After a while, she became known as “Granny Coffee Cake”.  So the next time you enjoy a cup of coffee and a piece of fresh coffee cake, remember to make a toast to “Granny Coffee Cake”.

For the Topping:

1 cup of flour (all purpose)

1 cup light brown sugar, firmly packed

1/2 cup butter, softened

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 cup chopped pecans

For the Cake:

1 cup butter, softened

3/4 cup light brown sugar, firmly packed

1/2 cup sugar

2 eggs

1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla

2 cups all purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/3 cup milk

First preheat oven to 325 degrees.

Next, make the streusel topping, pronounced stroi-zuhl in German, by combining flour, brown sugar, 1/2 cup (one stick) softened butter and cinnamon in a medium mixing bowl.  The streusel mixture should have the consistency of moist sand.  Add pecans.

In a large bowl or in an electric mixing bowl, cream butter, brown sugar and mix until light and fluffy.  Add eggs(one at a time)mixing well, then add vanilla.

In a separate bowl combine flour, baking powder, and salt.  Add dry ingredients, a little at a time.  Now, add milk and mix well.  Spoon batter into a 9 x 13 pan, buttered and dusted with a light coating of flour, or use Wilton Cake Release.

Sprinkle crumb topping over batter be sure topping completely covers batter.

Bake cake for 50 minutes or until edgers begin to turn light brown.

Serving Tip:

You can serve this immediately or later at room temperature.

This would be awesome served at a tea party or when having a friend over for coffee or even as an after dinner dessert served with freshly brewed coffee.  “Cheers Granny!”

Tags: Homemade Coffee Cake