PW's "The Best Coffee Cake. Ever"

So last semester I was more or less the worst food blogger ever.  I’m not proud of that fact, but between not having a camera to use and being too lazy to update my blog, I just didn’t.  That doesn’t mean that I didn’t cook, I just stuck to recipes that I knew and wasn’t excited to write about… I tried my best to take pictures though, and since it’s midterms here at Wheaton I’m going to use one of the recipes that I have stored from last semester to make up for my lack of updates recently.  So here goes nothing: (Oh and fun fact, all of these pictures were taken with my phone’s camera).

I’ve had the same best friend since second grade, and since then she and I have done almost everything together.  Even though we go to different schools when we’re home for break we’re almost inseparable.  And quite frankly she’s one of the few people that knows how to help me in the kitchen (mainly because she knows when to help and when to step back).  Over winter break she and I made the Pioneer Woman’s “The Best Coffee Cake. Ever.” and to be completely honest, it was probably was one of the best coffee cakes I’ve ever had.  It didn’t turn out quite like hers, but the cake was still soft and fluffy and the topping was still just as delicious as coffee cake crumbs can be. 

The recipe is somewhat time-consuming, but it’s worth it, and it makes a lot of coffee cake!  Kat and I were able to split it between our two families (and she’s got four siblings to share with).  So if you’ve got an electric mixer you should definitely give this recipe a shot!

Here’s what you’ll need:

For the cake

• 1-½ stick Butter, Softened
• 2 cups Scant Sugar*
• 3 cups Flour, Sifted
• 4 teaspoons Baking Powder
• 1 teaspoon Salt
• 1-¼ cup Whole Milk
• 3 whole Egg Whites, Beaten Until Stiff

For the crumbs:

• 1-½ stick Butter, Softened
• ¾ cups Flour
• 1-½ cup Brown Sugar
• 2 Tablespoons Cinnamon
• 1-½ cup Pecans, Chopped

*Scant sugar is just another way of saying” a little bit less than”.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.  Sift together the flour, baking soda, and salt. 

Beat the egg whites and set aside for later.  It’s easiest to beat egg whites with a beater ahead of time instead of trying to beat them by hand… unless you want to work out your arms, then by all means go ahead!

Cream the butter and sugar.  Add the dry ingredients and milk alternating as you mix.  Be sure that you don’t over-mix the ingredients because this can lead to the cake having a stiffer texture.  (On a side note, I walked away to measure something without realizing that I left the mixer on and after about three minutes of the ingredients mixing constantly I realized it.  DON’T do that.)

Use a rubber spatula to fold the egg whites into the batter.  Do this gently and only fold until the ingredients are completely mixed. 

Pour the mix into a buttered 9x13 cake pan (the higher the sides the better).  I didn’t have a 9x13 cake pan so I guesstimated and hoped for the best.

In a clean bowl combine the crumb ingredients with a pastry cutter.  If you don’t have a pastry cutter a fork or your hands work just fine.  Spread evenly over the cake and place the cake in the oven.  Let it cook for about 40-45 minutes.  Make sure the center still wiggles a little bit when you take it out of the oven. 

This recipe was a lot of fun and surprisingly easy to make, even if it had a few steps.  It might have been the company, or the fact that I didn’t eat dinner that day, but I still think about this coffee cake some days when I’m really bored in class.  Judge me all you want until you try it.  Then you’ll understand.