Cakes for the taking

"Why is there Elmer's Glue and Ground Turkey on top of that cake?"

Today felt like a sunday morning, which was a relief because most mornings lately have felt like Shit Town mornings. Do you know the difference? I bet you do. One morning you want to stay in bed because life is beautiful, just stretch and sigh and bask in the sun underneath your down comforter and the other because you're afraid your self-loathing will drown the people of the Midwest if you emerge.

A fitting breakfast for sunday-like mornings is a glass of pulpy pink grapefruit juice and a slice of thick coffee cake, heavily scented with orange and vanilla, nutmeg and cinnamon. For those other mornings, a fitting breakfast is your hair.

Fantastic things have happened lately -- a baby was born, Martha took it one step further towards becoming America's Real Idol, my dog didn't die. But there has also been a lot of unease, around those events and others. Because if Martha Stewart introduces a line of appliances, it is over. There's going to be some carnage and I will sell you to the Black Market if she and Kitchen-Aid partner on another line of Artisan mixers in special colors.

And secretly, I'm a little bummed that a dude I was having informal, light fun with sort of stopped before I was ready. It was natural. But you know my heart whimpers and I start over-identifying with Kelly Clarkson songs when I'm no longer in his top eight. You know that, right? I know. Let's keep it a secret though.

The coffee cake is originally and basically still, a recipe by Ina Garten. Sour cream and streusel and a maple glaze take it to the next level, I used much less maple syrup and subbed in orange juice, and added cinnamon and orange zest to the glaze. Instead of using the tube pan and layering the batter and streusel, I used two loaf pans and scattered the tops. Something to watch out for though -- one cake basically enveloped the topping. It sunk to the bottom, which was completely fine, I just used more glaze on the top of that one. The second was fine, though a few chunks still sunk maybe 1/4 of the way into the cake.

But what can you do. Sometimes the chunks win.

Sour Cream Coffee Cake
Adapted from Ina Garten

1 1/2 sticks butter, softened
1 cup granulated white sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
3 large eggs, room temperature
1 TBS + 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
1 1/4 cups sour cream, room temperature
2 1/2 cups Cake Flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
Zest from half of a ripe orange

Preheat your oven to 350° F, and butter and flour two loaf pans.

In a large bowl, cream the butter and sugars together until smooth, light and fluffy (no longer than 2 minutes or so). Add eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each one and then add the orange zest, cinnamon, nutmeg, and vanilla. Mix until combined, and add sour cream, blending well. You should have a soft, light-yellow mixture -- if it looks curdled, don't worry, your sour cream or eggs weren't at the same temp as your butter, it should come back together once you add the dry ingredients. Or maybe you've just failed at life, son.

Sift or whisk together your dry ingredients (flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt). Slowly pour into the wet mixture, and blend until JUST combined -- Ina suggests, and I agree, that you should finishing mixing with a rubber spatula so that you don't activate the gluten too much. Divide the batter between pans, and scatter with streusel. Bake until toothpick or skewer comes out clean, around 30-45 minutes (check after 30, it may take closer to 50). Cool in pans  for twenty minutes, remove, and glaze. Stuff your face.

Streusel
1/2 cup AP flour
1/3 cup brown sugar
3 TBS cold butter, diced
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
Pinch of kosher salt

In a small bowl, using your fingers or a fork, mash together all ingredients until crumbly -- use your fingers to pinch some larger clumps together if needed. Scatter evenly over both cakes.

Glaze
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
Juice from 1/2 a large orange
1 TBS pure maple syrup
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
Dash of ground nutmeg
Zest from 1/2 an orange

Whisk all ingredients together, and drizzle or spread over cooled cakes.

Comments

[Lisa]

I think the trick is to take the Sunday mornings to make the Coffee Cake so that it's sitting in your fridge or freezer, all tightly wrapped in its sunny Sunday goodness, to get you through the Shit Town mornings when all you can really do is crawl back into bed with an entire cake and a cutting board and a knife and eat it piece by piece and go back to sleep with the crumbs when you're sufficiently drugged with baked goods.

[Lizzy]

I totally know the difference between Sunday like mornings and the other kind of mornings. And that coffee cake looks perfect for Sunday morning. I have a quart of buttermilk and a quart of heavy cream in my refrigerator just waiting to be used in some type of Sunday morning breakfast-dessert. Maybe on Saturday:)

[Patricia Scarpin]

L. this cake sounds and looks great - I love the ingredients you used. Cinnamon and orange just won my heart - the photos are amazing.