For whatever the reason, my mind tends to skip over coffee cakes when I think of breakfast pastries. I suppose I like goods that come with a host of variables, flavor options, etc., and messing with the classic butter, sugar, & cinnamon composition seems silly, so it generally just doesn’t enter my thoughts at all....
…until I was sick a few weeks ago, and “taking it easy” for me means spontaneous baking. These two coffee cakes were the result, one with pears and hazelnuts and the other with apples and walnuts, and I just loved them. The flavors and textures come together to yield a really comforting pastry, cozy but also intriguing. I measure deliciousness by how difficult it is to walk away without another bite, and these passed that test all too well.
I was so excited about them, and then was distraught upon realizing that I was in no shape to be out and about sharing food with anyone—except my toddler, the origin of my cold I am sure! Let’s just say I’m looking forward to the rainy day that I pull these out of the freezer for a play date!
Rye Coffee Cakes
Yields one 9” round coffee cake or two 6” round coffee cakes
Streusel:
1 cup (130 g) all-purpose flour
3/4 cup (90 g) rye flour
3/4 cup (160 g) light brown sugar
1 (generous) t kosher salt
1 t cinnamon
1/8 t cardamom
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks; 170 g) unsalted butter, cold & cubed
1 cup (120 g) roughly chopped pecans, walnuts, or hazelnuts (peeled)
Cake:
1 cup (130 g) all-purpose flour
1 cup (120 g) rye flour
1 t baking powder
3/4 t baking soda
3/4 t kosher salt
1 t cinnamon
1/2 t cardamom
3/4 cup (1.5 sticks; 171 g) unsalted butter, room temperature
1/2 cup (100 g) granulated sugar
1/3 cup, packed (70 g) light brown sugar
2 eggs, room temperature
1 t vanilla extract
3/4 cup (180 g) buttermilk, room temperature
1/4 cup (60 g) creme fraiche
1 large apple (I used Honeycrisp) or 2 medium pears, cut into 1/2”-1” cubes
Directions:
pre-bake!
Make the streusel: In a small/medium bowl, whisk together all ingredients aside from the butter. Once thoroughly combined, use your fingertips to work the cold/cubed butter into the mixture until it comes together in small/medium clumps. Add/incorporate the nuts and refrigerate until needed.
Make the cake: Pre-heat the oven to 350 F, and butter one 9” cake pan or two 6” cake pans and line with parchment. Whisk together the dry ingredients in a medium bowl and set aside. Add the vanilla extract to the measured & tempering buttermilk.
In a the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, combine the sugars and butter and mix until quite light and fluffy, about 10 minutes. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating thoroughly after each addition.
Add the dry ingredients in three additions alternating with the buttermilk/vanilla, stopping the mixer as soon as each addition is nearly incorporated (to avoid over-mixing), and scraping the sides after each addition. Finally, using a large spatula, fold the creme fraiche into the batter.
Pour into the prepared pan(s), and top with the diced fruit. Sprinkle with the nut streusel and bake for about 1.25 hours (about 45 minutes to an hour for the 6” cakes), or until a skewer inserted into the middle comes out clean, and the top middle of the cake feels firm to the touch. Set on a cooling rack until cool enough to handle safely with a towel or oven mitt, and invert onto a plate (so it catches the streusel) before inverting again, either back to the cooling rack or serving plate. Enjoy!
