It was not until the middle of the 19th century that cake, as we know it today made with refined white flour and baking powder instead of yeast, arrived on the scene. The Cassell’s New Universal Cookery Book [London, 1894] contains a recipe for a layer cake. Butter-cream frosting (using butter, cream, confectioners [powdered] sugar and flavorings) replaced traditional boiled icing in the first few decades of the 20th century. Coffee cake (also sometimes known as Kuchen or Gugelhupf) was not invented. It evolved from ancient honey cakes to simple French galettes to medieval fruitcakes to sweet yeast rolls to Danish cakes to mass-produced pre-packaged treats.

Food historians generally agree the concept of coffee cake [eating sweet cake with coffee] most likely originated in Northern/Central Europe sometime in the 17th century. Why this place and time? These countries were already known for their traditional sweet yeast breads. When coffee was introduced in Europe these cakes were a natural accompaniment. German, Dutch and Scandinavian immigrants brought their coffee cake recipes with them to America. Italian coffee cakes are usually filled with fresh seasonal fruit and are eaten for breakfast.

The first coffee cake-type foods were more like bread than cake. They were simple mixtures of yeast, flour, eggs, sugar, nuts, dried fruit and sweet spices. Over time, coffee cake recipes changed. Sugared fruit, cheese, yogurt and other creamy fillings are often used in today’s American coffee cake recipes.

Coffee cakes are a class of cakes intended to be eaten alongside coffee as part of a breakfast meal or that may be eaten during a “coffee break” or offered to guests as a gesture of hospitality on or around a coffee table. They are typically single layer cakes that may be square or rectangular like a Stollen or a loaf-shaped cake or they may be ring-shaped. Coffee cakes may be flavored with cinnamon or other spices, seeds, nuts and fruits. These cakes sometimes have a crumb topping called streusel and/or a light glaze drizzle. The hole in the center of many coffee cakes is a relatively recent innovation—it became popular in the 1950’s. The “bundt pan” was invented to allow heavier batters to get cooked all the way through without any dough left unbaked in the center.

Enjoy one of the following cakes with your next cup of coffee.

Old-Fashioned Oatmeal Cake

For the cake

• 5.25 ounces (1 cup) steel-cut or old-fashioned oats
• 3/4 cupsevaporated whole milk
• 4 ounces (8 tablespoons) unsalted butter or butter substitute (such as Smart Balance), room temperature
• 4 ounces (½ cup) packed brown sugar
• 3.5 ounces (½ cup) granulated sugar
• 7 ounces (about 1½ cups) unbleached all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 2 large eggs, room temperature
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

For the topping

• 2.5 ounces (5 tablespoons) unsalted butter or butter alternative
• 2 ounces (¼ cup) packed brown sugar
• 2 ounces (¼ cup) granulated sugar
• 1/4 cup evaporated whole milk
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 3.5 ounces (1 cup) sweetened flaked coconut
• 2 ounces (½ cup) chopped pecans

Directions

Make the cake:

Heat the milk in a small saucepan over high heat until it just starts to boil. Pour the milk over the oats and cover the bowl. Allow the oats to rest for 30 minutes; in this time they should have absorbed much of the milk and softened considerably.

Adjust an oven rack to the middle position and heat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Spray an 8-inch square metal cake pan with cooking spray. Line it with a sheet of heavy-duty aluminum foil cut to fit into the bottom and up two opposite sides of the pan with ample overhang on either side. Spray the foil lightly. (If you have no interest in serving the cake outside of the pan, don’t bother with the foil. Instead, sprinkle flour generously on the inside of the sprayed cake pan, tilt to coat the bottom and sides and remove the excess flour.) Set the pan aside.

Beat the butter in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the flat beater attachment until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Scrape down the bowl with a rubber spatula. With the mixer running on medium-low speed, add the sugars, then increase the speed to medium-high and beat until the mixture is light and aerated, about 3 minutes, scraping down the bowl once or twice.

Place the flour, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon into a medium mixing bowl and whisk to combine.

Crack the eggs into a measuring cup. Add the vanilla and beat lightly with a fork until combined.

With the mixer running on low-speed, add the beaten eggs, then add the dry ingredients and the oats with any liquid remaining in the bowl. Increase the speed to medium and beat until just combined.

Pour the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the surface. Bake until the cake is golden brown, has shrunken slightly from the sides and tests clean with a toothpick, about 35 to 40 minutes. Remove the cake from the oven and let it cool on a wire rack for 5 minutes.

Make the topping:

Melt the butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Add the sugars and cook, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, until the sugars have dissolved, 3 to 4 minutes. Add the milk and salt, bring to a boil, and boil until the mixture is thickened slightly, about 3 minutes longer. Remove from the heat. Stir in the coconut, pecans and vanilla and set aside, covered, until ready to use.

Finish the cake:

After removing the cake from the oven, position the oven rack about 6 inches below the heating element of the broiler and preheat the broiler.

With a toothpick or wooden skewer, poke ½-inch-deep holes at regular intervals into the top of the warm cake. Spread the topping over the cake, coaxing it to the sides and corners.

Broil until the topping is light brown and bubbly, 30 seconds to 2 minutes, depending on the intensity of your broiler. Remove from the broiler and let cool on a wire rack for 1 hour.

To unmold the cake:

Run a metal spatula along the sides of the cake that touch the pan directly. Gripping the foil overhang on both sides, carefully lift out the cake and transfer it to a cutting board or serving plate. Press a long metal spatula flush against a side of the cake with a foil overhang and gently pull out the foil from under the cake.

Blueberry Sour Cream Coffee Cake

Ingredients

Cake

• 3/4 cup butter or butter alternative, softened
• 1 1/4 cups sugar or sugar alternative
• 4 eggs or equivalent refrigerated egg substitute, such as Egg Beaters
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup (8 ounces) light sour cream
• 1/4 cup packed brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 2 cups fresh or frozen blueberries, if frozen do not thaw

Glaze

• 1 cup confectioners’ sugar
• 2 to 3 tablespoons milk
• 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions

Grease and flour a 10-inch tube pan. Preheat the oven to 350°F.

In a large mixing bowl of an electric mixer, cream butter and sugar. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in vanilla.

Combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a separate bowl; add to creamed mixture alternately with the sour cream.

Spoon a third of the batter into the prepared pan.

Combine brown sugar, flour and cinnamon in a small bowl; sprinkle half over the batter. Top with half of the berries. Repeat layers. Top with remaining batter.

Bake for 55-65 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes before removing from the pan to a wire rack to cool completely.

Combine glaze ingredients; drizzle over the top of the cake.

Hazelnut Coffee Cake

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup rolled oats
• 1 tablespoon packed brown sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1/4 cup chopped hazelnuts, toasted, see tip below
• 1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 1 egg, lightly beaten
• 1/2 cup light sour cream
• 1/4 cup water
• 3 tablespoons canola oil
• 2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 tablespoon low-fat milk
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 9 x 9x 2-inch stone or metal loaf pan; set aside.

For the nut topping:

In a small bowl, combine oats, brown sugar, cinnamon and butter. With your fingers mix until mixture is crumbly. Stir in toasted hazelnuts. Set aside.

For the cake:

In a medium bowl, combine flour, granulated sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt.

In a small bowl, combine egg, sour cream, the water and oil and add to the flour mixture; stir just until combined.

Place 1/2 cup of the batter into a clean small bowl. Stir in cocoa powder, milk and vanilla until smooth.

Spoon the light-color batter into the prepared pan, spreading evenly (batter will be shallow in the pan).

Drop chocolate batter in small mounds over batter in the pan. Using a thin metal spatula, slightly marble batters. Sprinkle with the nut topping.

Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool in the pan on a wire rack for 15 minutes; serve warm. Makes 12 servings.

Tip:

To toast hazelnuts, preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spread nuts in a single layer in a shallow baking pan. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes or until lightly toasted.

Remove from the oven. Let nuts cool for 5 minutes. Rub hazelnuts in a clean kitchen towel until skins loosen and fall away.

Raspberry Cheese Coffee Cake

Ingredients

• 2-1/4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup sugar or sugar alternative
• 3/4 cups cold butter or light butter alternative, cubed
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup light sour cream
• 1/4 cup low-fat milk
• 1 egg, lightly beaten
• 1 teaspoon almond extract

Filling:

• 1 package (8 ounces) light cream cheese, softened
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1 egg
• 3/4 cups low sugar or sugar-free raspberry jam, warmed
• 1/2 cup slivered almonds

Directions

In a large bowl, combine flour and sugar. Cut in butter until mixture is crumbly. Remove 1 cup and set aside.

To the remaining mixture, add the baking powder, baking soda and salt, sour cream, milk, egg and almond extract and mix well. Spread in the bottom and 2 inches up the sides of a greased 9-inch springform pan.

For the filling:

Beat the cream cheese, sugar and egg in a small bowl until smooth. Spoon over batter. Top with the warm raspberry jam. Sprinkle with almonds and reserved crumb mixture.

Bake at 350°F for 55-60 minutes or until golden brown. Cool on a wire rack for 15 minutes. Carefully run a knife around the edge of the pan to loosen. Cool completely. Store in the refrigerator.

Yield: 12 servings.

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• http://jovinacooksitalian.com/2012/09/18/make-your-quick-breads-healthy/
• http://jovinacooksitalian.com/2012/08/23/italian-sweet-breads-made-healthy/

Posted by Jovina Coughlin in cake, Cheese, Healthy Italian Cooking, Nuts, oats, raspberries Tags: coffee cake