08 September 2008

Mom's Coffee Cake


Have you ever wondered why a cake that has no coffee in it continues to be called "coffee cake"?

I never did, until Hubby brought it to my attention after we got married. I grew up eating my mom's coffee cake and never questioned the name--just like I never questioned the reason why we called the piece of furniture in front of our sofa a "coffee table". It just "was". Who cared that we never drank coffee? It was just "coffee cake".

Yesterday, thanks to a post I read on Middle of Nowhere on an empty stomach, I developed a hankering for a great crumb cake. The only thing I could think of from that point on, was my mom's coffee cake. So I broke down and made some.

I decided to make it in a square pyrex dish instead of a 9x13 pan. That made for a longer cooking time then prescribed by the recipe, but it finally baked all the way through and I had a wonderful taste from my past.

Mom's Coffee Cake

Combine the following dry ingredients:
  • 3 cups flour
  • 1 1/2 cups sugar
  • 4 tsp baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp salt
Mix well and set aside.

Combine the following wet ingredients in a separate bowl:
  • 1/2 cup vegetable oil
  • 1 1/4 cup milk
  • 2 beaten eggs
Mix the wet mixture well.

Add the wet mixture to the dry mixture. Mix well. Pour into a greased and floured 9x13 pan or pyrex dish.

Prepare the topping in a separate bowl by combining the following ingredients:
  • 1/2 cup brown sugar
  • 2 Tbsp flour
  • 2 tsp cinnamon
  • 2 Tbsp butter
Mix until crumbly. Dot and crumble the topping mixture over top of the batter.

Bake at 350 F for 25-30 minutes until a test toothpick (or other probe) comes out clean.

The cake is a moist and dense crumb cake that isn't overly sweet in order to balance out the sweetness of the crumble topping. It can be eaten hot or cold (it's really good the day after baking). I don't know how many calories are in it, and I don't want to know. Sometimes, I just need a taste of being a kid again.

3 comments:

Pumpkin said...

I think coffee cake is called that because it's less sweet than a frosted cake you would eat for dessert, thus making it perfect to enjoy as a mid-afternoon snack with coffee. Much like a "tea cake"- except Americans don't take afternoon tea, we have an afternoon coffee break.
It really is perfect with coffee, though! Perhaps you could eat it at the coffee table?

Reeni said...

I love pumpkin's ideas! It looks delicious to have with a cup of tea or coffee!

Unknown said...

Your mom's coffee cake sounds so tasty! Any recipe made by mom is always a winner in my book :). I'd like to include your recipe on our blog, please let me know if you're interested! Thanks :)

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