A fantastic coffee cake loaf recipe, it comes together fairly quickly, is dense and delicious and has a crunchy topping and glaze. Besides, it contains the magic words brown butter, so it is a cake you should make now and keep making whenever you need a hug.
Superb coffee cake
At a time when the world is adjusting and we're wondering how much it will change and how quickly, this coffee cake will make your sunny day even better or your cloudy day brighter. A win-win situation if you ask me.
It's a sibling to the cinnamon coffee cake with pecans, and joins the ranks with other popular ones like coffee cake with apples and cranberry coffee cake, just to name a few.
I don't know about you, but coffee cakes in general, and brown butter, in particular, make me think of happy moments, very cheesy but so true. So yes, I associate the smell of brown butter with cozy hugs. Whatever.
Let's get into the recipe details.
Ingredient Notes
- Brown sugar: light or dark, both work.
- Sour cream: regular, full-fat.
- Baking powder and baking soda: make sure they're not expired.
- Eggs: fresh, large.
- Powdered sugar: also known as icing sugar or confectioners' sugar depending on where you live.
Quantities are listed in the recipe card towards the end of this post. The Ingredients page has more details and lists the brands we use.
Make brown butter
It's simple really. And there's a step-by-step brown butter post here in case you need it. It is worth the extra step; trust me on this one.
Just heat butter until it starts to foam, then sputter with large bubbles while chirping like a parrot (really, it chirps, you'll understand when you make it, especially if it's butter with high water content), until finally the noise and bubbles subside, the foam goes up again and beneath it, all the butter is browning and starting to smell beyond amazing.
I usually make a large batch, like say, half a pound of brown butter, keep it in the fridge for a few days, and use it for whatever baked cakes or cookies I'm making.
Coffee cake glaze
These type of cakes are traditionally topped with a powdered sugar glaze, that wonderful combination of confectioners' sugar and liquid (milk, cream, lemon juice, or dark coffee, which is my personal favorite and I use for the popular Brown Butter Bundt Cake).
It's the finishing touch that brings it all together. A slice of warm glazed coffee cake is truly a thing you remember.
Kitchen notes
- Baking time: consider that all ovens and pans are different, even if they look similar. The baking time in my recipes is as accurate as it can be, but it might take you more or less time. You can use a thermometer (like the OXO oven thermometer) to check that your oven is at the right temperature. I recommend you keep track of how your oven works and what tiny details you might need to adjust.
- Ingredients: use the best quality you can afford. This cake relies on simple ones, such as butter for flavor, so the best ones will render the best results.
- Serving: a glazed coffee cake is always my first choice, but this one can be served plain.
- Storing: it keeps well for a few days at room temperature and can be frozen for a month, well wrapped.
- Flavorings: feel free to add other flavorings that complement the cinnamon, such as orange zest. Or try a new one, like ground cardamom.
Related recipes you might like:
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The recipe hails from Tessa's blog, Handle the Heat, which she chose for this month's baking challenge.
Glazed Brown Butter Coffee Cake
Ingredients
For the streusel
- ¾ cup light brown sugar
- ⅓ cup all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
For the coffee cake
- ¾ cup unsalted butter , at room temperature
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ cup white sugar
- ½ cup light brown sugar, packed
- ¼ cup whole milk, at room temperature
- 2 large eggs, at room temperature
- 8 ounces sour cream, at room temperature
For the glaze
- ½ cup powdered sugar
- 1 tablespoon milk or lemon juice
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350ºF (180ºC).
- Butter or spray a 9x4-inch loaf pan or a 9-inch square pan.
- Line with parchment paper if wanted.
For the streusel:
- In a small bowl mix ¾ cup light brown sugar, ⅓ cup all-purpose flour, 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon and 4 tablespoons unsalted butter together until the mixture resembles wet sand. Reserve.
For the cake:
- Melt ¾ cup unsalted butter in a saucepan with high sides over medium heat until it begins to foam. Bubbles will appear and a chirping noise will begin. Let it boil away until the bubbles and noise subside and the surface covers with foam.
- Lower the heat and watch carefully, twirling the pan a few times until a nutty smell appears and, beneath the foam, the butter is amber colored. Be careful not to burn it!. You have brown butter now. Transfer it to a medium bowl and let cool slightly.
- Add ¼ cup whole milk (first to lower the temperature), 2 large eggs and 8 ounces sour cream to the warm butter and mix well but don't beat.
- In a large bowl sift together 2 cups all-purpose flour, 1 teaspoon baking powder, ½ teaspoon baking soda and ½ teaspoon salt. Add ¼ cup white sugar and ½ cup light brown sugar and mix to combine.
- Make a well in the center and add the wet ingredients. Mix with a spatula until combined, like you would a muffin mix, but careful not to overmix.
- Spoon half of this batter in the prepared pan. Sprinkle with half the streusel mixture. Cover with the other half of the batter and end with the remaining streusel.
- Bake for 40-45 minutes, depending on the pan you use until a tester comes out clean. The loaf pan might take a bit more.
- Let cool for 10 on a wire rack and carefully unmold. Some sugar might be stuck to the sides.
For the glaze:
- Mix ½ cup powdered sugar and 1 tablespoon milk or lemon juice until creamy and lump free.
- Drizzle over the cake.
- Keep wrapped at room temperature for a few days.
Notes
Recipe from Handle the Heat for her monthly challenge.
Linda says
I doubled the streusel only used 3/4 of it. (I liked a lot) it turn out great. How munch cardamon would you use?
Thanks
Paula Montenegro says
Hi Linda, I hear you on the extra streusel! If you want to make it just cardamom-flavored, I'd suggest 1 to 1 1/2 teaspoons. You'd have to see how strong it is, as it can vary.