Crunchy Salty Sweet

Happy day-after Thanksgiving! I hope everyone enjoyed the holiday with their loved ones and lots of food!

A while back I tweeted Alex Guarnaschelli and asked her what recipe MUST be made first from her cookbook Old School Comfort Food. She responded (woo!) three things: the chicken thighs, the corn, and the coffee cake. I instantly knew the coffee cake would be in my very near future.

The best part of this cake (and many like it) is the crumb topping. It’s buttery and decadent, and I could eat it on just about anything. I was skeptical because the picture in the cookbook showed a very thin amount of topping, but in actuality you’ll enjoy a nice heaping amount on each slice.

I was able to find everything I needed in my fridge and pantry, so if you’re still entertaining family or friends for the long weekend, you should be able to whip this up in no time!

Set your oven 350F and grease a 9 inch round pan, or comparable.

The first thing you’ll prepare is the crumb topping. She calls for pecans and walnuts, but I prefer to just use pecans. The amount of salt in the topping seemed off as well. Even though I love salty sweets, this was too much , so I only used 1/2 the amount called for. Simply mix together pecans, flour, white sugar, brown sugar, salt, and cinnamon, and then add the melted butter.

What you’re looking for is a loose mixture, with the crumbs ranging from the size of panko breadcrumbs to pea-sized pieces. Once you achieve that, you’ll spread it onto a parchment lined baking sheet and throw it in the fridge while you make the batter.

For the batter, you’ll want to use a stand mixer with the whisk attachment. You could do this by hand, and get a nice arm workout. Mix the butter and sugar together for about 5 minutes until it’s light and fluffy.

Now add the eggs one at a time, and then the vanilla.

Once incorporated, you’ll want to prepare the ‘other’ wet ingredients, and the dry ingredients in 2 separate bowls.

Whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and cinnamon in a small to medium bowl.

Separately, whisk together the sour cream, yogurt, and salt. I used reduced fat sour cream and 2% greek yogurt, instead of the regular sour cream and full fat plain yogurt, and it seemed to work out perfectly.

Now you’ll start adding the dry and wet ingredients to the butter/sugar mixture. Add about 1/3 of the dry mixture, followed by 1/3 of the wet. In between each addition, make sure the mixture comes together, incorporating all that was added, before the next addition. You’ll continue adding dry, then wet, until you’ve added everything. The batter will be reminiscent of a thick pancake batter.

Now, add the batter to the greased pan, then remove the topping from the fridge and sprinkle all over the cake as evenly as you can.

Put into the 350F preheated oven for 55-60 minutes. I baked mine for 53 and it was just right.

Enjoy watching your loved ones slowly gather in the kitchen as the smell of the baking coffee cake drifts through the house.

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Adapted from Old School Comfort Food by Alex Guarnaschelli

Prep: 25 minutes, Cook: 50-60 minutes, Total: under 90 minutes

Crumb topping:

• 1 cup chopped pecans (or a mixture of pecans and walnuts)
• 2/3 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/3 cup granulated sugar
• 1/3 cup light brown sugar
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 5 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

Cake Batter:

• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 2 large eggs, room temperature
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon (apple pie spice is nice here)
• 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 cup sour cream (I used reduced fat)
• 1/2 cup 2% Greek yogurt

Set your oven 350F and grease a 9 inch round pan, or comparable.

Prepare the topping by mixing together the first 6 ingredients, and then adding the melted butter. Mix until the texture is sandy and wet with pea-sized crumbs. Spread it onto a parchment lined baking sheet and throw it in the fridge while you make the batter.

Mix the butter and sugar in a stand mixer with the whisk attachment for about 5 minutes, until it is light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, and then the vanilla.

In a small to medium bowl, whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and cinnamon.

Separately, whisk together the sour cream, yogurt, and salt.

Start adding the dry and wet ingredients to the stand mixer. Add about 1/3 of the dry mixture, followed by 1/3 of the wet. In between each addition, make sure the mixture incorporates all that was added, before the next addition. You’ll continue adding dry, then wet, until you’ve added everything. The batter will be reminiscent of a thick pancake batter.

Pour the batter into the greased pan, then remove the topping from the fridge and sprinkle all over the cake as evenly as you can.

Put into the 350F preheated oven for 55-60 minutes.

This would be lovely served with some lightly sweetened whipped cream.