Coffee Cakes

Name: Coffee Cakes
Yield: Two 9-inch Square or 10-Inch Round Cakes
Ingredients: 3 eggs; 2 Cups flour; 2 teaspoons active dry yeast (see sidebar); ½ Cup raisins, soaked in just enough water to cover, drained; Room-temperature butter for the pans; 2 teaspoons grated lemon or orange zest; ¾ Cup butter, at room temperature; 1 teaspoon vanilla extract; ¼ Cup sugar; 1 cup flour; ½ Cup flour; 2 cups firmly packed dark brown sugar; ½ Cup milk, barely warmed; 1 cup butter, melted; ½ teaspoon salt; ½ cup chopped walnuts

Preparation info

Two 9 inch
Square

Difficulty
Easy

Appears in

Baking

By James Peterson

Published 2009

About

Some coffee cakes are made using baking powder, like quick breads, but this yeast-risen coffee cake is a little like a cross between bread and cake. This recipe contains 5 components—a breadlike sponge mixture, a cake batter, and a streusel topping.

Ingredients

Sponge

½ Cup milk, barely warmed
2 teaspoons active dry yeast (see sidebar)

Cake
Dessert
Baking
Vegetarian

Method

To make the sponge, pour the milk into a bowl. Sprinkle the yeast over the milk and let steep for 3 minutes. Stir in the flour and mix until well combined. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise at room temperature for about 45 minutes, or until at least doubled in volume.

To make the batter, while the sponge is rising, cream the butter, sugar, and salt in a food processor, with a mixer,