Cinnamon Streusel Coffee Cake

By MooK

Ingredients

• Streusel topping:
• 1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon salt (if you use unsalted butter)
• 1 1/2 cups King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
• 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
• 6 tablespoons butter, melted
• Filling:
• 1 cup brown sugar, light or dark
• 1 1/2 tablespoons ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon unsweetened cocoa powder, Dutch-process or natural
• Cake:
• 3/4 cup butter
• 1 teaspoon salt (1 1/4 teaspoons if you use unsalted butter)
• 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
• 1/3 cup brown sugar
• 2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 3 large eggs
• 3/4 cup sour cream or plain yogurt
• 1 1/4 cups milk (anything from skim to whole)
• 3 3/4 cups King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour

Preparation

Step 1

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

Make the streusel topping by whisking together the sugar, salt, flour, and cinnamon. Add the melted butter, stirring till well combined. Set the topping aside.

Make the filling by mixing together the brown sugar, cinnamon, and cocoa powder (optional - used only for color). 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. In a separate bowl, whisk together the sour cream or yogurt and milk till well combined. It will still be slightly lumpy. Add the flour to the butter mixture alternately with the milk/sour cream mixture, beating gently to combine.

Pour half the batter (a scant 3 cups, or 28 oz) 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 atop the batter. Spread the remaining batter atop the filling. Use a table knife to gently swirl the filling into the batter. Sprinkle the topping over the batter in the pan.

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.

*This cake can be assembled the night before, stored in the refrigerator overnight, and baked in the morning. You may have to add 5 minutes onto the cooking time to account for the chilled batter.