Last Saturday around midnight it hit me: we were going to a function in the morning and I was supposed to bring a breakfast item to share. Midnight is not really the time to start a baking project, but I sure as heck wasn’t going to get up early to make something delicious tasting. I racked my brain and went through all the usual breakfast choices: biscuits, muffins, scones, egg dishes… and coffee cake.
I batted my eyes like this *-* at my husband and promised that I’d make his favorite coffee cake recipe if he’d help me in the kitchen. He frowned at that last bit, but the chance to eat his favorite coffee cake ever trumped the desire to go to bed. Phew! First of all, his coffee cake recipe is really impossible to read. As an engineer, he wrote it with all kinds of lines, arrows, and brackets, and quite frankly, I wasn’t sure I had the mental capacity at midnight to handle something like that. Secondly, given the late hour, I was hoping to make this process go as fast as possible, and I figured at the very least he could wash dishes while I whipped everything together.
My husband is not much of a cook, and thus, the number of recipes he has added to my collection is rather limited. As in, he only has one. I guess this says a lot about this one recipe, right?
I grew up with a different coffee cake, which I’ll post later. You can compare results at that time and choose your favorite.
By the way, I included coconut in this recipe because I like the sweetness it adds. However, rumors are that the Crusades were started over someone’s hatred for this particular ingredient, so if you are in the “I detest the taste of coconut!” camp then just omit it. It will still taste great!
hubby’s coffee cake
cake:
1 cup butter or margarine, lightly softened
1 1/3 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 cup sour cream
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp almond extract
2 cups flour
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
Topping:
1/2 cup chopped pecans
2 tbsp sugar
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1-2 tbsp sweetened flaked coconut, optional
Preheat oven to 325. Grease an angel food cake pan.
Cream the butter well. Add the sugar and beat until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add in eggs, sour cream, and extracts. Mix well.
In a separate bowl, combine the dry ingredients. with mixer on low, add one cup of flour mixture at at time and beat together just until mixed. Repeat with remaining flour mixture.
In a small bowl, combine the ingredients for the topping.
Pour half of the batter into a well greased angel food cake pan. Add half the topping. Repeat with remaining batter and topping. Bake for 1 hour or until a toothpick entered in the thickest part of the cake comes out with only a few crumbs attached.
Let cool completely before removing from the pan. Slice and serve!
5 responses so far ↓
1 Brant // Sep 2, 2009 at 12:35 pm
Thus ends the search for the perfect coffee cake!
2 Jo // Sep 2, 2009 at 5:17 pm
Why am I SO not surprised that you *started* making this at midnight?!? Hilarious
3 Liztastic // Sep 3, 2009 at 8:41 pm
This. Is. The. Most. Delicious. Thing. Ever. No really, this cake is sooo tasty, but also tastes so healthy, that once when Paula gave this to me as a gift, I ate the whole thing in a day and a half. So good, and no guilt. In conclusion, yum.
4 Nicole@HeatOvenTo350 // May 12, 2011 at 7:30 am
You’re so tricky. I wish my husband had come with at least one recipe so I could make him help me with it. Especially one as good as this. It looks delicious, and I love that it is in a bundt form.
5 Paula // May 12, 2011 at 9:25 am
Ah, but alas… this and spaghetti are my husband’s *only* recipes.
So…. mostly I’m just own my own on this adventure called “food.” 
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