I've never understood coffee cakes that skimp on the crumb topping. That seems to me one of the most essential parts of a coffee cake. Then again, when I come across a recipe that doesn't seem to have enough topping I just double it, so it's not like I let those crumbless cakes interfere with my high crumb standards anyways.

This recipe takes the topping to a whole new level. It is piled on there to the extent that it ends up being about 2/3 cake and 1/3 crumb. I guess that's what makes it New York-style? I'm from the south, so that's just my best guess based on the title. Per usual, I tried pieces at all temperatures over the course of the time it was on my counter (just so I could report back, obviously), and my favorite was heated up for about 15 seconds. The cake itself is relatively dense when it's just room temperature, though not in a bad way. Heating it makes it seem much lighter and the cake flavor came through stronger as well.  That's just my personal preference for this recipe. That's not to say I didn't like it room temperature. I ate it that way day one and two, and heated it after that to combat the inevitable drying out that usually occurs as coffee cakes sit out. All-in-all, this is a delicious coffee cake, and I highly recommend everyone trying it out!

As a side note - sorry for the delay in posts. I was out of town for a few weekends, moved to a new house which meant everything was a bit chaotic in the kitchen realm for awhile, and then my computer decided to start moving at a snail's pace, which in turn meant I couldn't go through my pictures without wanting to smash it into a million pieces. The computer issue hasn't been resolved, but I'll work on my patience or stop being lazy and take it by the Apple Store. The good news is my new house has plenty of light so hopefully you'll start getting pictures that look much better than these (...which were taken in a basement apartment that was pretty much void of sunlight).

New York Style Crumb Cake
Recipe from Kitchen Meets Girl
Ingredients

For the crumb topping:
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 1/3 cup packed dark brown sugar
• 3/4 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 8 tablespoon butter, melted
• 1 3/4 cup cake flour

For the cake:
• 1 1/4 cup cake flour
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 6 pieces, softened
• 1 large egg plus 1 egg yolk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup buttermilk

For the glaze:
• 1 cup powdered sugar
• 2-3 tablespoons Green Mountain Vanilla Iced Latte (I just used

Instructions

1. Place the oven rack in the middle position and preheat oven to 325 degrees. Spray an 8x8 pan with baking spray and then line with parchment paper, allowing a few inches of excess to hang over the edges of the dish.
For the topping:
2. Whisk both sugars, cinnamon, salt and butter in a medium bowl. Add flour and stir until the mixture resembles a thick dough. Allow to cool to room temperature, about 10 minutes.
For the cake:
3. Meanwhile, combine flour, sugar, baking soda and salt in the bowl of a stand mixer on low speed. With the mixer running, add in butter pieces one at a time. Beat until mixture resembles moist crumbs and no butter pieces remain. Add the egg and egg yolk, vanilla and buttermilk. Beat until light and fluffy.
4. Pour batter into prepared pan and spread evenly. Break apart crumb mixture and spread it evenly over the batter, starting at the edges and working in towards the center. Bake 35 to 40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Allow to cool on a wire rack for 30 minutes, then remove cake from pan.
For the glaze:
5. While the cake is cooling, whisk together powdered sugar and the Green Mountain Vanilla Iced Latte. If the glaze is too thick, add in more liquid until desired consistency is reached. Drizzle over cooled cake.

Oh, coffee cake. Sweet, cinnamony, delicious, coffee cake. I try to avoid making it with any frequency because I honestly can't pull myself away (I still make it A LOT). There is just no time of day to completely rule it out. It's sweet enough to be dessert, but it also doubles as breakfast or a snack. Maybe this is just a personal problem. I have put a lot of things in this category.

I've tried a lot of coffee cake recipes over the years. I want something that will keep moisture for a few days and has very few bites without cinnamon crumble or filling...a little glaze never hurt either. This coffee cake as is already has plenty of cinnamon sugar topping, but I added a layer of cinnamon sugar to the middle as well. You may think that's a bit overboard, I personally do not. I have been called a diet-killer for reasons such as this. 

I have a few go-to coffee cakes, and this is now going to be one of them. It's easy to whip up, and it has everything you'd want in a coffee cake. I may even add some mini chocolate chips instead of the middle layer next time and try that out (...ok, I might add them and keep the middle layer as well). The point is, take it from a self-proclaimed coffee cake aficionado, this recipe is a keeper.

 

Cinnamon Roll Coffee Cake with Cream Cheese Glaze

Recipe slightly adapted from Love Veggies and Yoga

Yield: one 9-by-3-inch cake

Warm buttery cinnamon rolls, a moist and dense cake with a crumble topping, and cream cheese glaze are all favorites of mine, and I rolled all of them into this one easy-to-make cake. You don't actually need to make cinnamon rolls to make the cake. Rather, the finish cake just tastes like a cinnamon roll. Although there are three components - the cake, filling-topping, and the glaze - this is a very fast and straightforward cake to make and isn't fussy at all. In just one hour, including baking time, it's ready and in that one hour, your house will smell amazing while it bakes.

Ingredients:

For the Cake

1/4 cup unsalted butter, softened (half of one stick)

3/4 cup granulated sugar

3/4 cup sour cream (Greek yogurt may be substituted)

2 large eggs

2 tablespoons canola or vegetable oil

1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt, optional and to taste

For the Filling-Topping

1 cup and 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, extremely soft and almost melted

1 1/4 cup light brown sugar, packed

3 teaspoons cinnamon

For the Glaze

2 tablespoons cream cheese, softened (whipped or light are okay)

2 tablespoons cream or milk

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 cup+ confectioners' sugar, sifted is ideal

Directions:

For the Cake - Preheat oven to 350F and prepare a 9-inch springform pan (at least 3 inches high; a 9-inch square baking pan may be substituted if it's at least 3 inches in height; don't use a 9-inch round cake pan because it's too shallow) by spraying well with floured cooking spray (I use Pam for Baking) or grease and flour the pan; set aside. 

To the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine butter, granulated sugar, and cream together until pale, light, and fluffy, about 3 minutes on medium-high to high speed. Add the sour cream, eggs, oil, vanilla, cinnamon, and beat until smooth and incorporated, about 3 minutes on medium-high to high speed. Add the flour, baking soda, salt, and beat until just incorporated and batter is smooth, about 1 minute on medium speed. Spread 1/2 of the batter into prepared pan; set aside.

For the Filling-Topping - In a medium-microwave safe bowl, add the butter and heat on high power until it just begins to melt, about 1 minute. Add the brown sugar, cinnamon, and beat with a spoon or whisk until combined. Spread/sprinkle filling over the top of the first half of the cake batter. You don't need to make sure the filling covers every part of this layer--just make sure it's evenly distributed. Next, add the second half of the cake batter. Spread remaining filling in an even, smooth, flat layer, as if you're frosting a cake. Then, using a table knife, swirl back and forth to marble the filling into the cake batter, going over the cake and going up and back a few times. Place pan on a baking sheet (as insurance in case your springform pan doesn't have a perfect seal) and bake for about 45 to 50 minutes, or until topping has set and a toothpick inserted into the center of cake comes out clean. Note that in the final minutes of baking, topping may have a tendency to burn near the edges as the butter browns and the brown sugar caramelizes; watch cake closely. Allow cake to cool in pan and rest on baking sheet for at least 30 minutes before glazing it, or before removing it from the pan and serving. 

For the Glaze - In a medium bowl, combine cream cheese, cream, vanilla and whisk until combined and smooth. Slowly add the confectioners' sugar, whisking to incorporate and until smooth. Based on desired glaze consistency, playing with the sugar and cream ratios may be necessary. Evenly drizzle the glaze over cake and serve. Note - If you prefer to refrigerate cream-cheese based glaze, you may wish to only glaze individual pieces of cake immediately prior to serving them and store the glaze in small container in the refrigerator, as opposed to refrigerating the entire glazed cake, which will cause it to dry out. Or, you can glaze the cake and store it at room temperature anyway, as everyone has different food storage comfort levels. Cake will keep in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days.

I have a morning routine. It's pretty standard M-F. I wake up, brush my teeth (yes, before breakfast), go downstairs, pour cereal and milk in a cup and go sit in bed with my portable breakfast. If you're wondering, this whole process would be ruined by using a bowl. It's just not practical. At 22, I think I can only get away with this for a few more years. But whenever I try to change up that morning routine, I find myself craving cereal for the rest of the day. I think having this for breakfast is one of the very few exceptions.

First of all, what's not to love about coffee cake? My rule with coffee cakes is that they absolutely must be moist (does anyone actually like that word?). A dry coffee cake is no coffee cake at all in my book. This particular recipe passes all of my tests and more. It provides a good excuse for chocolate in the morning, is sweet enough for dessert and there is not a bad bite in the pan. I usually try to outside pieces first since those are my least favorite. If something is great even on those outside I'm a happy camper. I devoured this, outsides and all. My only piece of advice would be to avoid making this just as a casual thing to have around the house for breakfast. It's a 13x9--it stays around the house. If it stays around the house you'll eat all of it. The good news is that with this large of a serving you'll have enough to make everyone around you worship you for a day or two. Work, friends, significant other, family...happiness for everyone!

Chocolate Chip Sour Cream Coffee Cake
Recipe from The Cherry on Top (Originally from Smitten Kitchen)

Ingredients

Cake

• 1/2 cup unsalted butter at room temperature
• 1 1/2 cups (300 grams) granulated sugar
• 3 large eggs, separated
• 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 2 cups (16 ounces) sour cream
• 3 cups (375 grams) all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
• 3/4 teaspoon table salt

Filling and Topping

• 2 cups or 12 ounces semi- or bittersweet chocolate chips
• 1/2 cup (100 grams) granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter a 9-x-13-inch baking pan. If not nonstick coated, cover the bottom with a rectangle of parchment paper. Set pan aside.
2. In a large bowl, cream butter and 1 1/2 cups sugar. Beat in egg yolks and vanilla. Sift flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt together into a separate bowl. Alternately mix in sour cream and then dry ingredients into butter mixture until both are used up and the batter is smooth and very thick. In a medium bowl, beat eggs whites until stiff, then fold into batter.
3. In a small dish, whisk together sugar and cinnamon for filling and topping.
4. Spread half the cake batter in the bottom of prepared pan. Sprinkle with half of cinnamon-sugar mixture and 1 cup of chocolate chips. Dollop remaining cake batter over filling in spoonfuls. Use a rubber or offset spatula to gently spread it over the filling and smooth the top. Sprinkle batter with remaining cinnamon-sugar and remaining chocolate chips. With the palm of your hand, ever-so-gently press the chocolate chips a bit into the batter. No need to submerge them, you just want to make sure they adhere bit.
5. Bake for 35 to 45 minutes, rotating halfway through, until a tester inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean.

To say I've tried a lot of coffee cakes is an understatement. In my opinion everyone is pretty keen on their mom or grandma's coffee cake recipes. But that's not to say those recipes can't be topped or at the very least tied. It's just what we're used to.

This is the quintessential coffee cake. It's loaded with butter, and the first time I made it I was sure that I had measured incorrectly because of the enormous amount of cinnamon sugar crumble on top (I hadn't). I've made it twice now, and it's been delicious both times. I vaguely remember the last one turning out a bit prettier, but you can't win 'em all.

Ree titled this recipe "The Best Coffee Cake. Ever." It's hard for me to pick a favorite coffee cake because I have so many that I love that at a certain point all of the best ones start blending together in my mind. I probably have 10 favorites that I transition between. I'd rather not have added a coffee cake to that list that has 3 sticks of butter, but once I tried it I knew it was a keeper, butter and all.

So, here's one more coffee cake to add to the "bests" list. You can never have too many. Ree titled it "The Best Coffee Cake. Ever." - it's definitely up there with the best I've made, but the jury is still out on whether it's actually the best ever. Regardless, it's absolutely one you will want to make as soon as possible.

"The Best Coffee Cake. Ever."
Recipe from The Pioneer Woman

Ingredients

FOR THE CAKE:

• 1-½ stick Butter, Softened
• 2 cups Scant Sugar
• 3 cups Flour, Sifted
• 4 teaspoons Baking Powder
• 1 teaspoon Salt
• 1-¼ cup Whole Milk
• 3 whole Egg Whites, Beaten Until Stiff

FOR THE TOPPING:

• 1-½ stick Butter, Softened
• ¾ cups Flour
• 1-½ cup Brown Sugar
• 2 Tablespoons Cinnamon
• 1-½ cup Pecans, Chopped

Preparation Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Sift together flour, baking powder, and salt. Beat egg whites and set aside.
Cream butter and sugar. Add flour mixture and milk alternately until combined. Don’t overbeat. Fold in beaten egg whites with a rubber spatula. Spread in a well-greased 9 x 13 (or LARGER!) baking pan. A cake pan with higher sides would be best.
In a separate bowl, combine topping ingredients with a pastry cutter until crumbly. Sprinkle all over the top.
Bake for 40 to 45 minutes, or until no longer jiggly. Serve warm—delicious!

Blueberry boy bait--what a name.  When I first saw this recipe on someone's site I thought it was funny since it just looked like your run of the mill blueberry coffee cake. I really wouldn't have chosen this recipe over any of the others if it hadn't been for the name. Not surprisingly, it is really good.

I've always thought girls had it rough when it comes to the sweets department. We get cravings for the most insanely sweet/chocolatey/rich things out there, but find no sympathy from our male counterparts when we try to explain them. I don't know why it is that I can't resist a good cookie, but could turn down a hamburger in a second. I love hamburgers. I love steak. I love big, greasy sandwiches and fries...but I don't crave them. Those are the foods that males crave. What do I crave? Sweets. So blueberry boy bait stuck out because usually boys aren't drawn to sweets. The official consensus from all the "boys" in my life was that this was great. Was it the one dessert that they just couldn't resist? Nope.

I ate this for breakfast and dessert..and snacks throughout the day. I see anything short of pound cake with blueberries in it as breakfast-worthy. This cake isn't exactly like a coffee cake, though. I'd say it's a mix between coffee cake and regular yellow cake. The cinnamon sugar on top is delicious, and the cake is moist and flavorful. I brought it on my family beach trip this week and there's only a piece or two left. Wonder whether it's the boys or girls who are eating the most?


Blueberry Boy Bait
Recipe from Momofuku for 2


2 cups plus 1 teaspoon all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon table salt
16 tablespoons unsalted butter (2 sticks), softened
3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
3 large eggs
1 cup whole milk
1/2 cup blueberries, fresh or frozen (if frozen, do not defrost first as it tends to muddle in the batter)
*I doubled the amount of blueberries here.

Topping
1/2 cup blueberries, fresh or frozen (do not defrost)
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
For the cake: Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour 13 by 9-inch baking pan. (I lined a 9×9 inch pan with parchment paper)
Whisk two cups flour, baking powder, and salt together in medium bowl. With electric mixer, beat butter and sugars on medium-high speed until fluffy, about two minutes. Add eggs, one at a time, beating until just incorporated and scraping down bowl. Reduce speed to medium and beat in one-third of flour mixture until incorporated; beat in half of milk. Beat in half of remaining flour mixture, then remaining milk, and finally remaining flour mixture. Toss blueberries with remaining one teaspoon flour. Using rubber spatula, gently fold in blueberries. Spread batter into prepared pan.
For the topping:
Scatter blueberries over top of batter. Stir sugar and cinnamon together in small bowl and sprinkle over batter. Bake until toothpick inserted in centre of cake comes out clean, 45 to 50 minutes. Cool in pan 20 minutes, then turn out and place on serving platter (topping side up). Serve warm or at room temperature. (Cake can be stored in airtight container at room temperature up to 3 days.)

Some days I'm very productive and some days I swear I fall asleep at night and can't remember one thing I did except for class. I think this could just be because I like to tune out those hours spent on homework, at the library, or really doing anything I don't enjoy. Today was a productive day. It's probably all because I woke up early this morning and started off with a piece of the crumb cake I made last night. I went to run some errands afterward and then headed to class. I even made it to the gym after class. I could end there and would still give myself a pat on the back.
Tonight I went and volunteered for an hour or so at Ronald McDonald House and made them cookies and brownies. Mostly I go in groups but tonight no one else could go so I just showed up by myself and got to baking. I really can't think of anything I'd rather do while volunteering and RMH is such a great cause that I'd go every night if I had time.
When I came back I had more of the blueberry crumb cake, which is now almost gone, and then baked two loaves of banana bread and worked on internship stuff. My need to write all this down might be saying something (i.e. a day like this is rare!) but I'm still in productive-mode so I that puts me in writing mode as well.

Now to the "Yum" cake. This recipe is from Dorie Greenspan's amazing book Baking: From my home to yours. If you don't have this book yet, get it. I've loved everything I've made from it so far and have also found quite a few go-to recipes. This recipe is one of them. When I stocked up on strawberries at Costco I also bought a giant box of blueberries for this crumb cake. I looked through a few other bookmarked recipes before giving in to the fact that the only recipe I really wanted to make was this one. It's moist and flavorful on the inside but not too sweet which makes it appeal to a lot of different people. I snack on everything I make throughout the day and night despite its intended serving time, but this cake is truly great for whenever. I'm a blueberry addict and decided I was tired of waiting until blueberry season to start making all of my favorite dishes so prepare yourselves for many many more blueberry posts in these next few weeks.

Blueberry Crumb Cake
Recipe from: Dorie Greenspan's Baking: From my home to yours

For the crumbs: *
5 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/4 cup sugar
1/3 cup (packed) light brown sugar
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup chopped walnuts


For the cake:
1 pint (2 cups) blueberries (preferably fresh, or frozen, not thawed)
2 cups plus 2 teaspoons all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
2/3 cup sugar
grated zest of 1/2 lemon or 1/4 orange
3/4 stick (6 tablespoons) unsalted butter at room temperature
2 large eggs, at room temperature
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup buttermilk

*I double the crumb topping and when pouring the mixture add a layer after pouring half the mixture. I strongly suggest doing this because it makes it extra delicious but it's not necessary.

Getting Ready: Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Butter an 8-inch square pan (Pyrex is great for this) and put it on a baking sheet.

To make the crumbs: Put all the ingredients except the nuts in a food processor and pulse just until the mixture forms crumbs and curds and holds together when pressed. Scrape the topping into a bowl, stir in the nuts and press a piece of plastic against the surface. Refrigerate until needed.

To make the cake: Using your fingertips, toss the blueberries and 2 teaspoons of the flour together in a small bowl just to coat the berries; set aside. Whisk together the remaining 2 cups flour, the baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg.
Working in the bowl of a stand mixer or in another large bowl, rub the sugar and zest together with your fingertips until the sugar is mist and aromatic. Add the butter and, with the paddle or whisk attachment, or with a hand mixer, beat the sugar with the butter at medium speed until light, about 3 minutes. Add the eggs one by one, beating for about 1 minute after each addition, then beat in the vanilla extract. Don’t be concerned if the batter looks curdled--it will soon smooth out. Reduce the mixer speed to low and add the flour mixture and the butter milk alternately, the flour in 3 parts and the buttermilk in 2 (begin and end with the dry ingredients). You will have a thick, creamy batter. With a rubber spatula, gently stir in the berries.
Scrape the batter into the buttered pan and smooth the top gently with the spatula. Pull the crumb mix from the refrigerator and, with your fingertips, break it into pieces. There’s no need to try to get even pieces--these are crumbs, they're supposed to be lumpy and bumpy and every shape and size. Scatter the crumbs over the batter, pressing them down ever so slightly.
Bake for 55 to 65 minutes, or until the crumbs are golden and a thin knife inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Transfer the cake to a rack and cool just until it is warm or until it reaches room temperature.