A cake for the weekend: Sour Cream Coffee Cake

Copyright 2001, Barefoot Contessa Parties!, All Rights Reserved.
Click here for the recipe on the food network web site.

For the cake:
12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter at room temperature
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
3 extra-large eggs at room temperature
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 1/4 cups sour cream
2 1/4 cups all purpose flour
1/4 cup cornstarch
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

For the streusel:
1/4 cup light brown sugar, packed
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
3 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into pieces
3/4 cup chopped walnuts, optional

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour a 10-inch Bundt/tube pan.
Cream the butter and sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment for 4 to 5 minutes, until light. Add the eggs 1 at a time, then add the vanilla and sour cream. In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. With the mixer on low, add the flour mixture to the batter until just combined. Finish stirring with a spatula to be sure the batter is completely mixed.

For the streusel, place the brown sugar, flour, cinnamon, salt, and butter in a bowl and pinch together with your fingers until it forms a crumble. Mix in the walnuts, if desired.
Spoon half the batter into the pan and spread it out with a knife. Sprinkle with 3/4 cup streusel. Spoon the rest of the batter in the pan, spread it out, and scatter the remaining streusel on top. Bake for 50 to 60 minutes, until a cake tester comes out clean.
Let cool on a wire rack for at least 30 minutes. Carefully transfer the cake, streusel side up, onto a serving plate.

My comment on the recipe: I omitted the sugary glaze topping. I always think of that topping as unnecessary. It doesn’t add any flavor really, and it’s like eating sugar, yuck, and consuming more unwanted calories.


Bake with your kids.
I made this cake with my son (5 years old). It was a lot of fun.
Kids can measure ingredients, pour dry ingredients, sift the dry ingredients, crack the eggs, turn the mixer on/off (of course, you need to make the rules and explain about safety, stand next to them, and watch them!), and make the streusel. If they like a little mess, and you don’t mind it either, let them butter and flour the pan.

Enjoy the weekend,
Nurit

More cakes:
Orange Hazelnut Honey Cake
Black Forest Chocolate Roulade
Crostata with Summer Fruit
Blueberry crumb cake