I've been home for a few days (a hideous abscess [abscessed?] tooth, sedation dentistry, steroids and tears) catching up with Bon Appetit, Vanity Fair (read that Grace Kelly article, skip the Tiger Woods story) Cook's Illustrated and Esquire Magazine. Lots of culinary inspiration . . . maybe purse inspiration, too, if there's such a thing.
Often my spouse would travel to New York to consult with Brooklyn Union Gas. He always raved about the coffee cake he could buy there. Made in a sheet pan, tall, with lots of rich crunchy cinnamon topping . . . the cake had a crumbly texture, holes in it, with a fantastic aromatic topping. Sound good?
Bon Appetit says, "In this East Coast-style breakfast treat, a tender sour cream coffee cake is topped with a thick layer of cinnamon-scented streusel." I'm in.
Topping
* 1 cup (packed) dark brown sugar
* 1/2 cup sugar
* 1 1/2 tablespoons ground cinnamon
* 1/2 teaspoon salt
* 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, melted, warm
* 2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
Cake
* 2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
* 1 teaspoon baking soda
* 3/4 teaspoon baking powder
* 1/2 teaspoon salt
* 3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
* 1 1/2 cups sugar
* 2 large eggs
* 1 1/3 cups sour cream
* 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Topping
Mix both sugars, cinnamon, and salt in medium bowl and whisk to blend. Add warm melted butter and stir to blend. Add flour and toss with fork until moist clumps form (topping mixture will look slightly wet). Set aside.
Cake
Position rack in center of oven and preheat to 350°F. Butter 13x9x2-inch glass baking dish. Sift flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt into medium bowl. Using electric mixer, beat room-temperature butter in large bowl until smooth. Add sugar and beat until light and fluffy. Add eggs 1 at a time, beating until well blended after each addition. Add sour cream and vanilla extract and beat just until blended. Add flour mixture in 3 additions, beating just until incorporated after each addition. Transfer cake batter to prepared baking dish; spread batter evenly with rubber spatula or offset spatula. Squeeze small handfuls of topping together to form small clumps. Drop topping clumps evenly over cake batter, covering completely (topping will be thick).
Bake cake until tester inserted into center comes out clean and topping is deep golden brown and slightly crisp, about 1 hour. Cool cake in dish on rack at least 30 minutes. DO AHEAD Can be made 1 day ahead. Cool completely. Cover and let stand at room temperature.
Cut cake into squares and serve slightly warm or at room temperature.
