THB #32: Raspberry-Almond Coffee Cake

For those of you who are new to my blog you are probably wondering what does THB stand for?

THB = The Home Bakers is a group of talented bakers who bake from the same book and we are currently baking from ‘Coffee Cakes’ by Lou Seibert Pappas. The group was set up by Joyce of Kitchen Flavours and anyone can join in the delicious baking fun.

Each month one member gets to host a recipe of their choice and this time round I happen to be hosting and only the host of their chosen bake is allowed to include the recipe.

I decided to select this delicious old-fashioned coffee cake with tart, juicy raspberries which was counterbalanced with a crunchy topping.

So lets begin!

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Raspberry-Almond Coffee Cake (page 22)

Streusel Topping

3 tablespoons all-purpose flour

3 tablespoons sugar

1 1/2 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into bits

1/4 teaspoon freshly grated or ground nutmeg

1/2 cup sliced almonds

Cake ingredients

145 grams unsalted butter at room temperature

3/4 cup sugar

2 large eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 teaspoons grated lemon zest

3/4 cup plain yoghurt or buttermilk, at room temperature

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

2 cups fresh or frozen raspberries or other berries or pitted sour cherries

Method

Preheat the oven to 350 F or 180 C. Butter and flour a 10-inch springform pan (or in my case a 12 x 4.5 inch loaf pan lined with grease proof paper)

To make the streusel topping: In a medium bowl or a food processor, combine the flour, sugar, butter and nutmeg. Cut in the butter with your fingers or process until crumbly. Stir in the almonds.

In a large bowl, cream the butter and sugar with a wooden spoon or an electric mixer until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well. Add the vanilla, lemon zest and yoghurt or buttermilk, beating just until smooth. In a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Stir to blend. Gradually add the dry ingredients to the butter mixture, beating just until blended. Spread the batter evenly in the prepared pan. Scatter the berries or cherries evenly over the batter and sprinkle evenly with the streusel.

Bake for 55 minutes to 1 hour, or until the cake is golden brown and a cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean. Let cool in the pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes, then remove the pan sides. Serve warm or at room temperature, cut into wedges.

Makes one 10-inch cake; serves 10 to 12.

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My changes

  • I used a 12 x 4.5 inch loaf pan and lined it with grease proof paper so that I could lift the cake out without having to turn it upside down once baked.
  • I doubled the measurements of the streusel as I used half in the middle of the cake.
  • Instead of normal white sugar in the streusel ingredients I used Demerara sugar for extra crunch and brownness.
  • I omitted the nutmeg in the streusel as I did not have this on hand.
  • I made my buttermilk by adding a few drops of lemon juice to regular milk.
  • I used 1/4 teaspoon lemon extract in place of lemon zest.
  • For the layered effect I spread half the batter in the pan, scattered 1 cup of the berries, sprinkled half of the streusel then spread with the remainder batter before arranging the raspberries and sprinkling the streusel.
  • Baking time in the loaf pan approximately 1 hr and 15 mins.

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My cake had a very lovely brown edging because after 1 hour of baking it was still not cooked and I was a bit impatient so I turned my oven to fan force (my oven bakes cakes better without fan force) so this browned the cake very quickly. I should have known better but to wait a bit longer as a loaf pan is more compact than a 10 inch springform pan.

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But despite all that, the cake turned out pretty good if I might say so myself. The cake, apart from the slight browned edging, was very moist and rich.

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Instead of just having the berries and crunchy streusel on the top and all cake on the bottom, I decided to layer it. This gave the cake a beautiful layered design and it evened out the tart and sweetness with every bite. Not only was there crunch on the top of the cake but also in the middle.

This cake is definitely a keeper in our household as I shared it with my in-laws and some good family friends and I had them coming back for more.

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I just love the colour contrast.

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If you like the sweetness of cake mixed with the tartness of juicy berries then this is a coffee cake you will love, trust me it is delicious!!

Be sure to check out how my other fellow bakers interpreted this recipe over at The Home Bakers.

The Home Bakers

Category : Cakes, Recipes, The Home Bakers
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