rye coffee cakes with fruit & nut variations!

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!

1. 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.

2. 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.

3. 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.

4. 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.

5. 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!

honey-lavender scones!

Lavender! Honey! Cream! These ingredients are a few of my favorites, and they come together here in a simple, unfussy scone. These are sturdy in the best way, offering crisp edges and a tender, biscuit-y interior. Naturally they’re a delightful accompaniment for morning coffee or afternoon tea, and with a generous dollop of crème fraîche. And drizzle of honey.

I baked these with differing finishes, giving half the usual brush of cream and sprinkle of raw sugar, and leaving a few plain in anticipation of a honey glaze. I really don’t think you can go wrong either way; the sugar adds more texture, but the glaze adds moisture and flavor.

Honey-Lavender Scones

Ingredients

scones:

• 6 sprigs fresh lavender, divided

• 1 c (240 g) cold heavy cream

• 3 c (390 g) AP flour

• 1/4 c sugar (50 g)

• 1 T baking powder

• 1 t kosher salt

• 6 T (84 g) unsalted butter, chilled and cut into 1/2” cubes

• 2 T (40 g) honey

glaze:

• 1/4 c (31 g) powdered sugar

• 2 T (40 g) honey

• 1-2 t water, as needed

Directions

1. In advance of making/baking, steep the cream: combine 5 sprigs of lavender and heavy cream into a medium-small saucepan and scald over medium heat. After you see bubbles around the sides, remove from heat, cover, and let steep for 30 minutes before straining into a container and let cool completely before using. (OR! for a stronger lavender flavor, skip straining until just prior to using)

2. Whisk the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and the flowers from the remaining lavender sprig in an electric mixing bowl. Add the cold/cubed butter and, with the paddle attachment, mix on low speed until the mixture starts to come together—it’ll be quite dry but when you squeeze the mixture it should stay somewhat together in your hand before falling apart. Scrape the bowl with a spatula to bring any accumulated flour at the bottom into the rest of the mixture, and mix for another 5-10 seconds.

3. Stop the mixer and add the heavy cream all at once. On low speed, mix the dough until it’s just barely come together. Turn out onto the countertop and knead it the rest of the way before shaping into a 5x7” rectangle (or a 1.5” high circle), and cut into triangles or wedges. A rolling pin is helpful here, but you can also just use your hands. If baking straight away, put them onto a parchment lined baking sheet (about 2” apart) and preheat the oven to 350 F. Brush the scones with cold cream, and sprinkle with turbinado sugar (or leave bare, if opting for the glaze) before popping them in and baking them for 10 minutes, or until the edges and the base are golden brown.

4. Alternatively, I prefer to freeze the unbaked scones and bake off straight from the freezer, however many at a time that I need. In which case, follow the same routine above (brush with cream, top with sugar) but allow an additional 5-10 minutes for baking time (15-20 minutes total).

5. While the scones are baking, whisk the powdered sugar, honey, and water together in a small mixing bowl, and set aside until scones are cool enough to handle, and brush the glaze over the tops.