Coffee and cake - a match made in coffee shop heaven. Pairing sweet
cakes with strong coffee goes back to late 17th century Europe, when
coffee first arrived there from Arabia. Scandinavian cooks paired their
fine pastries with afternoon coffee, and gossip, and the first Kaffeeklatcsh, or coffee klatch was born.
Today, we still klatch with coffee and sweet cakes. In
fact, nearly 20% of all U.S. convenience store coffee purchases are
accompanied by a sweet snack purchase.
But for coffee gatherings at home, there's nothing better or easier
than homemade coffee cake. There are as many variations of coffee cake
as there are coffee flavors - adorned with fruit, nuts, or swirls of
sugary streusel. The Culinary Institute of America's apple sour cream
coffee cake combines fresh, sliced apples and cinnamon in a moist,
sweet cake.
Over 2,500 varieties of apples are grown in the U.S., but when people
think of baking apples, only Granny Smiths seem to rise to the top of
the barrel. These tart apples balance the high sugar content in apple
pies but might be too tart for a coffee cake.
"There are so many good apples for baking from Cortland, Rome, Empire,
Jonagold. You want one with a firm texture that won't turn to
applesauce when you bake it," said Paul Wigsten, produce buyer for The
Culinary Institute of America, "We're really lucky in New York's Hudson
Valley to have so many choices. The region is known worldwide for
apples."
"Cortlands are very well-suited for salads, snacking and baking. They
don't brown after cutting like most apples, so they're a great choice
for fresh or baked preparations."
Wigsten adds that apples should be stored in a 32°F, high humidity bin
in the refrigerator, in their plastic bags, loosely closed.
Picking your own apples will likely give you more selection than the
supermarket's common varieties and you're getting the freshest apples
possible. With just a few hours from orchard to oven, you're guaranteed
to lock in that fresh apple taste.
Don't worry if coffee cake batter seems very thick. The apples will
release their juices as they bake, adding moisture to the finished
product. The cinnamon-sugar topping will form a sweet, crunchy crust.
The firm texture of coffee cake makes it great for slicing and
transporting to those inevitable fall tailgate parties. And it freezes
well, so you can have that fresh-from-the-orchard taste long after the
leaves have fallen.
The following recipe is explained and illustrated in The Culinary Institute of America's Baking Boot Camp cookbook (John Wiley & Sons, Inc 2007, $29.95), which is available for purchase at bookstores nationwide or at www.ciachef.edu/enthusiasts/cookbooks.
From Orchard to Oven to Table – Apple Sour Cream Coffee Cake
Apple Sour Cream Coffee Cake
Serves 16
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 3 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 3 cups peeled, sliced apples
- 3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
- 1 1/4 cups sugar
- 3 eggs
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- Preheat the oven to 325°F. Grease and flour one 9-inch square baking dish.
- Sift together the flour, 2 teaspoons of the cinnamon, the baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside. Finely chop half of the apples and leave the other half sliced.
- Cream the butter and 1 cup of the sugar together on medium speed until very light and fluffy, 3 to 5 minutes. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well to combine after each addition. Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl to combine the ingredients thoroughly. Add the chopped apples and sour cream and stir until combined.
- Stir in the sifted dry ingredients. Add the sliced apples and fold them into the batter gently, just until the slices are coated. Pour the batter into the prepared pan, spreading it into an even layer.
- Stir together the remaining sugar and cinnamon and sprinkle evenly over the surface of the batter. Bake 45 to 50 minutes in a pre-heated oven, or until tester comes out clean and the edges shrink from the sides of the pan.
Nutrition analysis per 3-ounce serving: 260 calories, 4g protein, 37g carbohydrate, 11g fat, 180mg sodium, 60mg cholesterol, 1g fiber.
