Cinnamon Streusel Cake

I was in cake heaven all weekend.

Several years ago, an ex-colleague of mine back in Australia baked the team a most delicious cake. She called it a Coffee Cake. Very popular in America, this coffee cake is mainly a sponge cake that is topped with a cinnamon struesel. There’s no coffee in it. Yeah. I guess you’re supposed to enjoy it with a cup of joe. I’m no coffee drinker. I just like the struesel. Oh, and the cake too.

Since then, I’ve been wanting to get my hands on a good coffee cake recipe. I finally found it. The Pioneer Woman is one of the many wonderful blogs I follow and I got this recipe from her. It’s sinfully a-m-a-z-i-n-g!!! Just be aware that this recipe makes a very big cake. I was a little scared of how big it was. But guess what? There’s not a crumb of it left. It’s one of the most delicious cakes I’ve ever made. Like…ever.

The struesel’s my favourite part. When I topped the cake batter with the struesel mix. It looked like this – you can’t even see the cake batter anymore. It’s excessive! But I loved it!

But once it’s baked, the cake edges peek out and becomes the yummiest parts of the cake. The edges of the cake’s always the best isn’t it?

There’s a huge amount of butter and sugar in this thing. Just don’t think about it too much. The struesel gets all crunchy and some of it sinks into the cake and it’s all crunchy and cinnamony and super yummy.

It’s my current cake chart topper (if I actually had a Top cake chart). And since it’s such a big cake, best to bake it for a big dinner party or if you have the will power, freeze some of the cake for another day.

I didn’t have a party. I didn’t have the will power. It’s all gone.

CINNAMON STRUESEL CAKE (or otherwise known as Coffee Cake)
adapted from The Pioneer Woman

FOR THE CAKE:

• 1-½ stick Butter, Softened
• 2 cups Scant Sugar
• 3 cups Flour, Sifted
• 4 teaspoons Baking Powder
• 1 teaspoon Salt
• 1-¼ cup Whole Milk
• 3 whole Egg Whites, Beaten Until Stiff

FOR THE TOPPING:

• 1-½ stick Butter, Softened
• ¾ cups Flour
• 1-½ cup Brown Sugar
• 2 Tablespoons Cinnamon
• 1-½ cup Pecans, Chopped

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Sift together flour, baking powder, and salt. Beat egg whites and set aside.

Cream butter and sugar. Add flour mixture and milk alternately until combined. Don’t overbeat. Fold in beaten egg whites with a rubber spatula. Spread in a well-greased 10 x 14 baking pan. A cake pan with higher sides would be best.

In a separate bowl, combine topping ingredients with a pastry cutter until crumbly. Sprinkle all over the top.

Bake for 40 to 45 minutes.

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