Cinnamon Streusel Coffee Cake

Recipe by PJ Hamel

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Ingredients

Topping

• 1 cup (198g) granulated sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon table salt, (if you use unsalted butter)
• 1 cup (120g) King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
• 1 tablespoon cinnamon
• 6 tablespoons (85g) butter, melted

Filling

• 1 cup (213g) dark brown sugar or light brown sugar, packed
• 1 1/2 tablespoons cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon unsweetened cocoa, Dutch-process or natural

Cake

• 12 tablespoons (170g) butter, at room temperature, at least 65°F
• 1 teaspoon table salt, (1 1/4 teaspoons if you use unsalted butter)
• 1 1/2 cups (298g) granulated sugar
• 1/3 cup (71g) light brown sugar or dark brown sugar, packed
• 2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 2 teaspoons King Arthur Pure Vanilla Extract
• 3 large eggs, at room temperature
• 3/4 cup (170g) sour cream or plain yogurt, at room temperature
• 1 1/4 cups (283g) milk, anything from skim to whole, at room temperature
• 3 3/4 cups (450g) King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour

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Instructions

Preheat and prepare pan

• Preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly grease a 9" x 13" pan, or two 9" round cake pans.

Make the topping

• To make the topping: Whisk together the sugar, salt, flour, and cinnamon. Add the melted butter, stirring until well combined. Set the topping aside.

Make the filling

• To make the filling: Mix together the brown sugar, cinnamon, and cocoa powder. (The cocoa powder is used strictly for color, not flavor; leave it out if you like.) Set it aside.

Make the cake

• In a large bowl, beat together the butter, salt, sugars, baking powder, and vanilla until well combined and smooth.
• Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition.

Prepare liquids and flour

• In a separate bowl, whisk together the sour cream or yogurt and milk till well combined. You don't need to whisk out all the lumps.
• Add the flour to the butter mixture alternately with the milk/sour cream mixture, beating gently to combine.

Assemble and bake

• Pour/spread half the batter (a scant 3 cups) into the prepared pan(s), spreading all the way to the edges. If you're using two 9" round pans, spread 1 1/3 cups batter in each pan.
• Sprinkle the filling evenly on the batter.
• Spread the remaining batter atop the filling. Use a table knife to gently swirl the filling into the batter, as though you were making a marble cake. Don't combine filling and batter thoroughly; just swirl the filling through the batter.
• Sprinkle the topping over the batter in the pan.

Bake and cool

• Bake the cake until it's a dark golden brown around the edges; medium-golden with no light patches showing on top, and a toothpick or cake tester inserted into the center comes out clean, about 55 to 60 minutes for the 9" x 13" pan, 50 to 55 minutes for the 9" round pans. When pressed gently in the middle, the cake should spring back.
• Remove the cake from the oven and allow it to cool for 20 minutes before cutting and serving. Serve cake right from the pan.

Storage

• Storage information: Store leftover cinnamon streusel coffee cake, well wrapped, at room temperature for several days; freeze for longer storage.