COFFEE CAKE WITH THE WRONG FLOUR

FL0002: NO HARD FEELINGS
January 1, 2023

King Arthur (the baking company, not the monarch) has declared Cinnamon Crisp Coffee Cake the Recipe of the Year. I made it; it’s great. Now let’s ruin it.

This recipe takes that one as its starting point but then asks the question: what if the coffee was coming from inside the cake?

The answer is polarizing. For an outstanding coffee cake that everyone can agree on, consult Melissa Weller’s recipe for Cinnamon Swirl Sour Cream Bundt Cake in A Good Bake instead.

Goal: a Latvian passport
Serves: 9 to infinity

YOU WILL NEED

  • an 8-inch square metal pan or 10-inch Bundt pan

  • a stand mixer or hand mixer

FOR THE CRUMB TOPPING

  • 2/3 cup (80 grams) rye flour

  • 1/3 cup (65 grams) dark brown sugar

  • 2 teaspoons cinnamon

  • 1 tablespoon instant coffee or instant chicory powder

  • 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt

  • 4 tablespoons butter at room temperature

FOR THE FILLING

  • 1/3 cup (65 grams) dark brown sugar

  • 2 teaspoons cinnamon

  • 1 tablespoons instant coffee or instant chicory powder

FOR THE CAKE

  • 2 cups (240 grams) rye flour

  • 1 teaspoon baking powder

  • 3/4 teaspoon fine sea salt

  • 12 tablespoons (170 grams) butter at room temperature

  • 1 cup (200 grams) sugar

  • zest of 1 orange

  • 1 1/2 cups sour cream

  • 2 medium or (smallish) large eggs at room temperature, lightly beaten

  • 1 tablespoon orange blossom water

  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

FOR THE SCHLAG

  • 1 cup heavy cream

  • 1/2 cup sour cream

  • Confectioners sugar, sifted, to taste

  • Orange blossom water, orange bitters or curaçao to taste

 

WHAT TO DO

At least a few hours before baking, start bringing the butter and egg to room temperature.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter an 8-inch square pan and line it with a parchment sling. (If using a Bundt pan, butter and flour it.)

Make the crumb topping: whisk together the rye flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, instant coffee or chicory and salt. Knead in the butter by hand to make pea-sized crumbs. Set aside.

Make the filling: mix together the brown sugar, cinnamon, and instant coffee or chicory. Set aside.

Make the cake by the creaming method: In a medium bowl, whisk together the rye flour, baking powder and salt (“the dries”); set aside. In a separate medium bowl, whisk the sour cream, orange blossom water, bitters and vanilla (“the wets”); set aside. In the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, 3 to 5 minutes. Stop the mixer and zest the orange directly into the bowl. Add the lightly beaten eggs and mix on medium speed until combined. Alternate adding the wets and the dries in thirds and mix just until combined, mixing in the last third by hand with a spatula.

Pour the batter into the pan and lightly press the crumb topping over the surface. Bake until the center of the cake is set and the edges are barely starting to pull away from the pan, 45-55 minutes (the internal temperature should be at least 200 degrees F).

Let the cake cool in the pan for at least 30 minutes before lifting or cutting (at least an hour is better).

Right before serving, make the schlag: whip the heavy cream to stiff peaks and fold in the sour cream. Add sifted confectioner’s sugar to taste, one tablespoon at a time. Add a few dashes of orange blossom water, bitters or curacao. The finished schlag should be barely sweet and the orange flavor should be subtle but distinctive.

Serve each slice of cake with an equal-sized pillow of schlag and a cup of coffee or tea.