Sour Cream Coffee Cake

Rainy Saturday mornings usually means you'll find me vegging on the couch with a cup of coffee and the Food Network playing. I don't feel guilty about it, I just thought you should know.

As I have been on a bit of a baking kick lately, I thought I would also treat myself to a delicious homemade treat on this dreary day.

I used a leftover carton of sour cream to make a sweet and lovely loaf cake. Add a cinnamon and brown sugar streusel topping to that, and what I was left with was a sweet and moist coffee cake.

This cake is really tremendous. I had a very large piece for breakfast, and I'm not sorry I did. I'll probably do the same tomorrow.

The sour cream keeps the cake moist and not too sweet. I love the crunch on top from the streusel, too. In a way, the cake is also light and delicate. It's such a great combination of flavors and textures.

I used to LOVE those Hostess coffee cakes. The kind that came with 2 in a pack. I'd eat those for breakfast, I'd have them as a snack, they made a great dessert too. Now that I consider myself an adult, I usually try to avoid pre-packaged baked goods. Does any good REALLY come from those?

Well, good does come from my oven. And that goodness is in the form of a Sour Cream Coffee Cake. The adult Hostess snack of my dreams!




Here's what you need:

For the loaf*:

2 sticks unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 eggs
1 cup sour cream
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
pinch of salt

For the streusel**:

3 tablespoons unsalted butter, chilled and cut into small cubes
1/4 cup light brown sugar
1/2 cup all purpose flour
2 tablespoons ground cinnamon (more or less depending on your taste)
pinch of salt

Here's what you do:

Grease and line a loaf pan with parchment paper. Grease the parchment paper lightly and dust with flour. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

In a large mixing bowl, cream together the butter and sugar using a hand mixture until fluffy.

Beat in one egg and mix until just incorporated. Repeat with the second egg.

Mix in the sour cream and vanilla extract using a rubber spatula. Be sure the sour cream has fully incorporated into the entire mixture.

Gently beat in the flour, baking powder and salt. Scrape down the sides of the bowl if necessary.
Pour half of the batter into the prepared loaf pan.

Prepare the streusel by combining all the ingredients in a medium bowl. Gently blend together with your fingers until it is course and crumbly. Spread half of the streusel over the batter in the pan.

Top with the remaining batter and spread the remaining streusel on top of that.

Bake for 50 minutes. Test the loaf with a toothpick. If it does not come out clean, return the loaf to the oven and bake until cooked through.

Once it is done, allow the loaf to cool slightly in the pan, then remove to a wire rack and let cool completely.

Serve immediately with a hot cup of java.

Store any leftovers in a cool, dark place well-wrapped in cellophane or in an air tight container.

*Cake recipe adapted from AllRecipes.com
 **Streusel recipe adapted from Ina Garten