Crumbly good
Classic coffeecake is just a starting point
Classic coffee cake is just a starting point for endless flavor variations.
It can be hard to define exactly what coffeecake even is. ❚ Is it anything served with coffee? If it’s not served with coffee, is it still a coffeecake? Is there a reason that there is never actually coffee in it? ❚ No matter what we place in the general category of coffeecake, I believe it should have a few defining characteristics: a tender yellow butter cake base; a crunchy, buttery streusel on top; and ribbons of something delicious throughout. ❚ These three components create a springboard for endless flavor combinations that can range from whatever is in season to whatever is in your cupboard.
I am a firm believer in back-pocket recipes, a basic recipe you know well that serves as a starting point for whatever you want to create. This coffeecake base is one of those recipes.
It is moist and tender and has a slight tang from the buttermilk. It can be spread into a 13-by-9-inch pan and served in easy slices, layered in a bundt pan for a towering centerpiece or scooped into muffin tins for an on-the-go snack. The only thing that needs to be adjusted is the baking time.
The filling of a classic coffeecake is typically a combination of sugar and cinnamon that melts into a sweet, spiced layer throughout the base of the cake. Cinnamon Swirl Coffeecake with Espresso Glaze uses a combination of white and brown sugars with a healthy dose of cinnamon. If you prefer swirls of cinnamon, rather than a layer running through the center, use a knife to swirl the batter after sprinkling the filling for marbling effect.
Coffeecake fillings can also include fresh fruit, cream cheese, chocolate or jam. Fold fresh fruit into the batter for pockets of juicy berries throughout or scatter it in a layer in the center for a more traditional look. If you don’t have good seasonal fruit on hand, a layer of jam is an excellent year-round substitute. Raspberry Chocolate Coffeecake with Vanilla Glaze uses a layer of tart raspberry jam scattered with chunks of melty dark chocolate.
If that crunchy, buttery, sugary streusel is the reason you keep coming back for more coffeecake, the filling can be replaced by an extra layer of streusel for double the crunch. Cookie Butter Coffeecake uses crushed Biscoff cookies and brown sugar in a streusel that is sprinkled in the middle and packed on top.
The center also gets a drizzle of cookie butter, an addictive spread made from ground-up Biscoff cookies, plus a few tablespoons in the batter. This method can be used with peanut butter, Nutella, almond butter or any other spread.
A traditional streusel is a combination of flour, sugar and melted butter. You can use granulated white sugar or brown sugar depending on the flavor in your cake, and the flour can be decreased for a more buttery streusel or increased or a drier, crunchier topping.
Streusel is a hard one to mess up, which means you can add pretty much anything to it and it will produce a delicious topping for your cake. Cocoa powder, espresso powder and spices all add wonderful flavor.
Crushed-up cookies, such as Biscoff or gingersnaps, are worth mentioning again. And of course, nuts add a wonderful flavor and crunch. Banana Coffeecake with Brown Sugar Pecan Streusel uses brown sugar, cinnamon and pecans for a crunchy, addictive topping.
Once you mix up the basic batter, there’s no limit to what you can mix in, swirl and sprinkle throughout. Whether you have it with coffee, as breakfast, dessert or a snack, coffeecake is a go-to recipe that will have you coming back to it time and time again.