Coffee Cake!

I honestly can't tell whether or not I have a favorite dessert.  It honestly depends on what mood I'm in, what ingredients are in the cupboard, what time of year it is, and what I last saw a picture of.  One thing that almost always appeals to me without fail is coffee cake!

A few months ago, I made this positively delicious coffee cake.  My mom had a meeting the next day and she forgot to bake a treat, so I begged her to take the coffee cake off my hands (I didn't need THAT many extra calories!)

(Photo not mine. Credit to blog linked below!)

I found this most amazing recipe from this wonderful blog!  The recipe and directions seemed a bit unusual, and with my tendency to not always follow directions, I was worried that it would turn out to be a disaster. Fortunately, it turned out beyond my wildest dreams.

At last, I had found the one - the one coffee cake to rule them all!

I like to experiment when I bake, so I did things a little differently when I made it. The recipe typed below is what I did. You can find the original recipe here! ((All credit to this recipe is rightly owed to the author of thepioneerwoman.com!)) 

Ingredients:

• 3/4 stick butter, softened
• 1/2 cup greek yogurt or sour cream
• 2 cups sugar
• 3 cups flour
• 4 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 to 1 1/4 cup skim milk 
• 3 egg whites, beaten until stiff

----------------- Topping ------------------

• 1 stick butter, softened
• 1/4 cup low-fat butter substitute
• 3/4 cup flour
• 1-1/2 cup brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons cinnamon
• 1-1/2 cup almonds (Optional. I used almonds because they're the only nuts my brother and I aren't allergic to.)

Sift flour, baking powder, and salt. Beat egg whites. Cream butter and sugar. Add flour mixture and milk alternately. Fold in egg whites by hand (with spoon or spatula, not with mixer!) In a separate bowl, combine topping ingredients to create a crumbly mixture. (Mine turned out a little bit like a gooey, soupy mixture. Never fear if this happens, because mine turned out REALLY well that way.) Sprinkle -- eh, or pour -- over the top. Bake for 40-45 minutes at 350ºF. (176ºC)

When I made it, the gooey cinnamon mixture melded through the batter naturally to create a beautiful harmony of brown-sugary goodness, within a luscious, cakey base! The splendid, tender, sugary goodness melted in the mouth, sparking a warm burst of life within the taste buds. With heated passion did I consume the cake, sipping my coffee and stealing fork-fulls of love from the pan as I passed by.

(It really sounds like I'm sexually attracted to my food when I describe it. Honestly, I'd be lying if I said that wasn't partially true.)

Erm, ahem! Well even if you don't feel quite so passionate about this cake, or consume it lustfully with such vigor as I did (and as my mother described the church ladies to have consumed the nourishment...if you rightfully call it nourishment.) I can assure you that you will very much enjoy this cake! (... although .. your plan for a week-lasting splurge may turn into a one-night-stand...)