Family Eats

Coffee Cake

As I pulled the coffee cake out of the oven, Nicole asked, “Why do they call it coffeecake?”

My reply was simply, “Because it is cake that is eaten with coffee.”

Ahh, the coffee cake.  For me, it is a delicious nut-filled and –topped cake with a moist sweetness inside. But there is noofficial coffee cake recipe. They come in all shapes and sizes. They can be a pound cake, sponge or yeast. They can be filled with fruit, spices and nuts. Yes, every ethnic tradition has its own version.

Whether it’s the Butterkuchen, a yeasted German-style coffee cake with cinnamon sugar topping, the Swedish Flop Coffee Cake covered with a crunchy streusel that is split and filled with butter cream, or the delicious sweet Danish pastry that is a specialty of Scandinavian countries, it is not only the cake itself, but the ceremony that accompanies enjoying it that is so compelling to so many of us. There is something truly enjoyable about the simplicity of stopping the day, sitting down together with friends or family, and enjoying a cup of coffee accompanied by a cake. The Germans have even given it a name – kaffeeklatsch: the tradition of enjoying Kaffee – coffee – and Klatsch – gossip.

Well, Nicole was going to make sure she had some of that cake, even if she didn’t drink coffee.

“I’m calling it water cake,” she declared, as she sat with a glass of water in front of her.

“I’m eating milk cake,” said Addie.

“Looks like Daddy is having wine cake,” added Grayson.

And so it goes in our household. Our water-milk-wine-coffee cake session brought us gossip about the Halloween poem Addison and Keely learned at preschool, Nicole’s art project at school and Grayson’s adventures searching for arachnids during Science class.

Last evening it was water cake for me, this morning, as I write this, it is undoubtedly coffee.

Enjoy a bit of coffee cake, with your friends and your family. You never know what you may find out!

Grandma’s Special Coffee Cake

Filling

  • ½ cup sugar
  • 1 tsp cinnamon
  • 1 tbsp cocoa
  • ½ cup chopped walnuts

Cake

  • ½ cup butter
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 3 eggs
  • 3 cups flour
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 3 tsp baking powder
  • 1 ¼ cups sour cream

Instructions:

1. Heat oven to 375°F. grease 9” tube pan.

2. Make Filling: mix sugar, cinnamon, cocoa and walnuts in a bowl. Set aside.

3. Cream butter, 1 cup of sugar, add eggs.

4. In another bowl, mix flour, baking soda and baking powder.

5. Blend in flour mixture alternating with sour cream.

6. Spoon half of batter into pan, sprinkle ½ filling over it, and spread remaining batter over it. Sprinkle top with remaining batter.

7. Bake 1 hour. Cool about 10 minutes in pan.

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Four Pillars

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