Coffee Cake...mmmm!

A couple of nights ago, I got a hankering for a good old-fashioned streusel coffee cake.


Whenever I get a hankering for a good old-fashioned anything, I refer to my Amish cookbook. It's one of those DIY kind, where everyone and their sister contributes her version of everything she cooks. I LOVE it!! I bought it about 15 years ago at the Amish School Auction, in Clarita, OK. It's been through  a ton of moves and one house fire. It's a bit beat up, but I use it bunch!!

One of the funny things about it that of nearly every recipe, there are at least three submissions, and sometimes they're identical! Ha ha!! There are five coffee cake recipes.


My favorite is this one:

Streusel Coffee Cake by Lydia Kauffman.

Oven: 375
Cake
1 1/2c flour
1T baking powder (the recipe said 3t..giggle)
1/4t salt
3/4c sugar
1/4c shortening (I used salted butter, softened)
1 egg
1/2c milk
1t vanilla

Streusel Filling:
3/4c brown sugar
3T flour
2t cinnamon
3T melted butter
3/4c chopped nuts (I omitted these)

Here's the actual instructions, per the author. I'll list what I did after.
Sift dry ingredients. Cut in shortening until mixture is like fine corn meal. Blend in well beaten egg mixed with milk and vanilla. Beat just enough to mix well. Pour 1/2 the batter into a well-greased 6x10 or 8"square pan. Sprinkle w/ half the streusel mixture. Add remaining batter, then the rest of the streusel mixture as a topping. Bake at 375 for 25 to 30m.

What I did: put all dry ingredients in a bowl, cutting butter w/ fork, then whisk w/ a fork. Measure milk in a 2c or larger measure, add egg and vanilla, beat w/ fork. Stir liquid into dry. Voila!
For the streusel, stir all together.

To assemble: Use the butter wrapper to grease your pan. Put half of the batter in the pan, sprinkle w/ half the streusel. Drop the rest of the batter by tablespoonsful onto the first layers, then gently (shallowly?) spread stir it around until it gets to the edges of the pan. Top w/ remaining streusel and bake.

Let cool 10m before serving.