cinnamon coffee cake touchdown

My first project for this blog coincided nicely with Superbowl Sunday, also known as Evening Of Excessive Eating. I figured that since I’m starting triathlon training this week I deserved one last tango in the arms of Gluttony. Or at least in the collective embrace of butter and’ eggs.

So what to bring to the Great American Football Party? A late morning and a lazy afternoon yielded little inspiration for forays into the unknown world of new recipes or complicated appetizers. And so I turned to The Book: a sturdy collection of our family favourites, lovingly copied out in my mother’s own handwriting. I flipped to her recipe for Sour Cream Coffee Cake.

This cake has a history. Its simple cinnamon flavour and almost cheesecake-like density have made it the ultimate comfort food over recent years. It was there the day I moved into my new house full of roommates in 3rd year. It was there whenever I returned home, offering its crumbs of nutty, rich, just-sweet-enough-for-a-cup-of-coffee goodness. Apparently, someone at Canada Post likes it too, because one was once “lost” in the mail en route to a Ward family member.

 

I made it for the gang, and it was a hit.

This cake reveals a slight swirl of cinnamon and pecans, achieved by layering them between slabs of thick dough in my favourite pan: Bundt bundt bundt. (I just love the way that sounds.) It was invented by an American engineer from Minneapolis who wanted a lighter version of the German ceramic Bund pan. While this cake was the perfect companion to a potluck, it did make me a little homesick. I guess that means it turned out well.

Sour Cream Coffee Cake

Blend well: 1 cup butter, 2 cups sugar, 2 eggs, 1 cup sour cream, 1/2 tsp vanilla

Add: 2 cups flour, 1 tsp baking powder, 1/4 tsp salt

Combine in a small bowl: 4 tsp sugar, 2 tsp cinnamon, 1 cup chopped pecans

In a greased and floured Bundt pan, layer 1/3 batter and 1/3 topping. Repeat 2 more times. Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour.

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