Saturday, July 18, 2009

Streusel Coffee Cake and The Golden Girls


So much fun this past week. My mom, aka Baba had visitors in from our home town. It's significant because when you're in your late 80's so many of the "friends" have either passed on or are in retirement facilities. To see the three "golden girls" as we've been calling them together and in action was nothing short of hysterical.

They all were catching up on the gossip since they were last together. Who's still alive, who died, who has Alzheimers and where everybody is. This banter went on literally for days. The best is that they're all really hard of hearing and although it's not too funny to poke fun at people with reduced hearing, here's a look at the conversation:

Baba: How was the flight?
R (friend #1): No...my pants aren't too tight.
H (friend #3): What are you talking about, the seats on the plane were terrific, there was lots of room.
Baba: nods and smiles as though she got her answer but in reality didn't hear a thing.
R : Giz, congratulations on your daughter's wedding. You must be so happy.
Giz: Thank you R, yes I'm very proud.
Baba: Why are you complaining, R isn't talking too loud.

You get the drift. A total alien conversation that they all enjoyed and laughed together like old times.

My brother and I planned a BBQ for the golden girls. Usually, I'm the one who brings dessert so I thought that bringing a coffee cake a) wouldn't upset any of their stomachs and b) didn't have sweet icing all over it.

I decided on one of Ina Garten's recipes - Sour Cream Coffee Cake.




Ingredients:

12 Tablespoons unsalted butter (1 1/2 sticks) at room-temperature
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar (I reduced this to just over a cup)
3 extra large eggs at room-temperature (I used 4 large eggs)
1 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
1 1/4 cups sour cream
2 1/2 cups cake flour (not self-rising)**
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp kosher salt

** If you don't have cake flour, you can substitute 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour plus 1/4 cup cornstarch.

For the Streusel

1/3 cup light brown sugar, packed
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp kosher salt
3 Tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into pieces
3/4 cup chopped walnuts (optional)

Preheat the oven to 350 F. Grease and flour a 10-inch tube pan

Cream the butter and sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment for 4-5 minutes until light. Add the eggs, one at t time, then add the vanila and sour cream. In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. With the mixer on low, add the flour mixture to the batter until just combined. Finish stirring with a spatula to be sure the batter is completely mixed.

Sor the streusel, place the brown sugar, flour, cinnamon, salt and butter in a bowl and pinch together with your fingers until it forms a crumble. Mix the walnuts, if desired.

Spoon half the batter into the pan and spread it out with a knife. Sprinkle with 3/4 cup streusel. Spoon the rest of the batter in the pan, spread it out and scatter the remaining streusel on top. Bake for 50 to 60 minutes until a cake tester comes out clean.

Let cool on a wire rack for at least 30 minutes. Carefully transfer the cake, streusel-side up, onto a serving plate.

The recipe also calls for a glaze made by mixing 1/2 cup confectioners' sugar and 2 Tablespoons of real maple syrup adding drops of water to make the glazy runny and then drizzling over the cake with a fork or spoon. I didn't do this.


The end conversation when this was served was:

Baba: What a beautiful cake - but I don't eat sweets
R
: Ok, I'll have your piece
H: I don't eat dessert but maybe just a little piece

...they raved about the cake and while they continued their chatting I cut it into individual servings, wrapped them all up and Baba took it home for "just a little something with tea". StumbleUpon

17 comments:

Anonymous said...

I looooove coffee cake! That looks so good!

Peter M said...

I do believe it's time for afternoon coffee...and a Steusel cake of course!

Julia said...

Ah, sounds like the conversations I used to have with my grandma.

The coffee cake looks delicious.

OhioMom said...

LMAO! Sounds like the conversations we used to have with Mom. I will also have a little piece :)

Adam said...

I don't think there's a single cake more fitting for golden girls than coffee cake. It pretty much creaks and is hard hearing itself (with much love of course).

Looks totally coffee-licious Giz.

Elle said...

How fun to enjoy the company of the 'golden girls'. That coffee cake looks delightful...not too sweet, but pretty. I'd love a slice with my afternoon tea :)

Karine said...

My grandma and her late brother had a earing loss.... and I agree with you, the conversations were quite something! :0

By the way, I love your coffee cake :)

theUngourmet said...

Cute!

I love the coffee cake. I'll take any leftovers!

Sylvia said...

Looks like my conversation with my grandma(all in the sweet age of 90, 95) and her friends
The coffee cake sound delicious,I guess your golden girls love it

Dewi said...

This is exactly what I need with a cup of coffee at the very moment. looks irresistible!

That Girl said...

The women in my family live forever- and hearing loss doesn't seem to be a big problem so I don't have any of these fun conversations to recount!

grace said...

i know it's not so nice, but it's hard for me to keep from laughing in situations like that. :)
meanwhile, this coffee cake is ALL about the streusel, and i love it!

Valerie Harrison (bellini) said...

Ina is always an excelelnt choice!!!!

noble pig said...

That was seriously hilarious. I would have loved to be a fly on the wall...I would have landed on the cake too. Even a flyswatter couldn't keep me away from that!

Chef Jeena said...

Hey how are you? I love this cake, it has been a while since I had coffee cake and yours is making me so hungry for one - gorgeous!

kat said...

That is one heck of a coffee cake!

Gloria Baker said...

Really love this Cake! xxGloria

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