Coffee Cake

What's better than nuts, chocolate and coffee all together in the same cake?  Not much!  I love a good coffee cake and although my quest to wear a bathing suit this summer (after three kids - yikes!) means that I'm cutting back on sweet treats, I can't wait to make this one again.  It's not overly sweet, it's super easy to make, and the combination of flavors was delicious.  

Pecan Chocolate Espresso Coffee Cake

from The Food Librarian

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup packed light brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
3/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup chopped pecans
3 ounces bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
2 teaspoons espresso powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup regular or low-fat buttermilk
1 large egg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon almond extract 

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Prep a 9-inch square baking pan with baking spray or butter.   

Combine the flour, both sugars, butter and salt in the bowl of a stand mixer. Beat on low speed, then on medium speed until the mixture resembles coarse meal.

Pull out 3/4 cup of the mixture and place in another mixing bowl. Stir in the pecans, chocolate and espresso powder to form the crumb topping.

Sprinkle the baking soda onto the remaining flour-butter-sugar mixture; add the buttermilk, egg, and vanilla and almond extracts. Beat on medium speed just until combined. Spread batter into pan. Sprinkle the crumb topping on top.

Bake for 40 to 45 minutes, until the top is golden brown and a cake tester inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Allow to cool completely before cutting into squares.

Buttermilk Coffeecake

This is what I brought to the pumpkin carving party with our friends.  I really like coffee cake and have been looking for a good, basic recipe.  This got good reviews from friends and my little sous chef (see cowgirl in the post below!) and I think I've found what I'm looking for.  I liked how there wasn't a bunch of butter in the crumble topping and the cake was moist and light.  Perfect with a cup of cider of coffee!

Buttermilk Cinnamon Coffee Cake

from the Food Librarian

2 1/4 c. flour

1 c. brown sugar, packed

1/2 c. granulated sugar

2 tsp. cinnamon (divided)

1/2 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. ground ginger

3/4 c. canola oil

1/2 c. sliced almonds

1/2 c. oats

1 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. baking soda

1 c. buttermilk

1 egg

Whisk together the flour, sugars, 1 teaspoon of cinnamon, salt and ginger in a large bowl until well combined.  Remove 3/4 c. of the mixture and put it in a smaller bowl.  In that smaller bowl, add the remaining teaspoon cinnamon, the almonds and oats.  This will be your topping but set it aside for now.  

Back in the big bowl, add the baking powder, baking soda, buttermilk and egg.  Stir until it's smooth.  Spread in a buttered 9x13 pan.  Sprinkle the topping over the batter.  Bake at 350 for 35-45 minutes.

Cinnamon Squares

Have you ever made something that was exactly what you wanted to eat? These cinnamon squares were that for me. It was the start of a weekend where I OD'd on cake (homemade coffee cake, my birthday, valentine's day, church potluck) but it was amazing. I was looking for something to bake without going to the store and I had all of this stuff in the cupboard.

The filling in the middle is awesome. I put too much batter on the bottom and had trouble covering the filling with the batter I had left so next time I'd pay more attention to that. I didn't make the chocolate frosting (but I'll include it in the recipe) and it was perfect with a cup of tea (oh, I miss coffee).

Cinnamon Squares
from Baking: From My Home to Yours, by Dorie Greenspan

Cake
1 1/4 cups plus 2 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 1/2 teaspoons instant espresso powder
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
pinch of salt
3/4 cup whole milk
2 large eggs
1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
10 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled
1/2 cup mini chocolate chips

Frosting
6 ounces bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
2 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 4 pieces

Preheat the oven to 350 F and butter an 8-inch square baking pan. Stir 2 tablespoons of the sugar, 2 1/2 teaspoons of the cinnamon and the espresso together in a small bowl.

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, the remaining 1 1/4 cups sugar, the baking powder, salt and the remaining 1 tablespoon cinnamon. In another bowl, whisk together the milk, eggs and vanilla. Pour the liquid ingredients over the flour mixture and gently whisk until you have a homogenous batter. Now, using the whisk or a rubber spatula, fold in the butter with a light touch, just until the butter is absorbed. You'll have a smooth, shiny batter.

Scrape half of the batter into the pan and smooth the top. Sprinkle the chocolate over the batter and dust with the cinnamon-sugar mixture. Cover with the rest of the batter and smooth the top again.

Bake for 35 to 40 minutes, or until the cake is puffed and beginning to pull away from the sides of the pan; a thin knife inserted into the center will come out clean.

To Make the Frosting: Put the chocolate and butter in a heatproof bowl and fit the bowl over a saucepan of simmering water. Cook, stirring gently and often, just until they melt. Be careful not to overheat the mixture so much that it thins out; the chocolate should be smooth, very shiny, thick and spreadable. (If it thins, leave the frosting at room temperature for a bit, until it thickens a little.)