The morning aromas from the kitchen are often remembered
with fondness and longing: Freshly brewed coffee. Bacon sizzling to a crisp in
the skillet. Toast popping and ready for butter and jam (or cinnamon-sugar!)
Now add my Mamaw’s Butterquick Coffee Cake to the list, for
as it bakes the most wonderful smell of brown sugar and cinnamon fills the air.
Mamaw’s recipe card says she found the instructions for this
coffee cake from August 10, 1980
edition of Missouri Ruralist, a publication my parents continue to receive on
the farm. And I know why it caught her attention: It’s easy to make!
As I’ve mentioned in past posts, Mamaw hated to cook. However,
she created many wonderful dishes, probably because she was a farmer’s wife in
the 1930s, 40s, 50s, 60s, etc, and it was expected of her.
(The picture was
taken by Papaw at the farm and is of Mamaw and Mom holding me when I was four
months old.)
To make this recipe even easier, I tried out a
mixing method I’ve watched Nigella Lawson do many times on her cooking shows. I
put all of the ingredients into a food processor and whizzed them together! In
a snap, the cake batter was ready for the pan. The only thing I mixed by hand
was the crunchy topping.
I think Mamaw would have approved.
This delicate cake with its crunchy nut-coconut topping practically
melts in your mouth. Since the hearty breakfast Mamaw typically prepared each
morning consisted of cereal, eggs, bacon, toast, and orange juice, I think she
would have served this coffee cake to friends when they came to play cards, or the women’s church
group on these lovely dessert plates.
Butterquick Coffee Cake would also make a yummy after-school
snack. Just imagine the kids walking in the door to be greeted by the
aroma of freshly-baked cake.
Got milk?
Butterquick Coffee Cake
For crunchy topping:
2 tablespoons soft butter1/4 cup light brown sugar
2 tablespoons flour
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 cup of coconut and/or 1/2 cup chopped nuts
For cake:
1/2 cups soft unsalted butter1 egg
1 cup milk
2 cups flour
1 cup sugar
3 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
To make the crunchy topping: In a medium-sized bowl, mix
together the butter, brown sugar, flour and cinnamon until crumbly. (The
easiest way is to rub everything together with your fingers.) Stir in the
coconut and/or nuts. Set aside.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Spray the bottom of a
9-inch square pan with non-stick cooking spray. Set aside.
To make the cake, place all of the ingredients into the food
processor, putting in the liquid ingredients first, and then the dry. Whiz
everything together until well blended, about 1 minute. Pour into the pan.
Cover the top with the crunchy topping. Bake for 30 to 40 minutes, until the top
is brown and a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out with just a few
crumbs.
Serve warm.
Just looking at these pictures is making my mouth water. I love anything with cinnamon, especially cake. Mix that with the crunchy nut/coconut topping and I'm sooo tempted to just reach into the screen and grab this!
ReplyDeleteLinda, This looks so delicious…it’s the kind of cake that I enjoy the most…perfect with tea for breakfast!
ReplyDelete