A Little Bland

I do love a good coffee cake. I love cake in general, so the idea of a breakfast cake makes me smile.

I don’t always make a yeast based coffee cake. I get up early, but am not always revving to go first thing in the morning. And a yeast based cake means rise time.

For this coffee cake, the timing was right though. I had friends coming over for a coffee date a little later in the morning. This would be a great option for Christmas morning when everyone tends to be up early and yet wait to eat.

The big problem is that the cake doesn’t taste all that exceptional. In fact, it is quite bland.

The topping is nice. It has a good crunch from the walnuts. The cinnamon and brown sugar give it a classic coffee cake taste.

But there is not enough of the topping in my opinion. Only the top quarter of the coffee cake gets the topping flavor.

And the cake portion is fairly thick thanks to the yeast. So it is a big chunk of bland.

Watch The Video

CRUNCHY TOP COFFEECAKE

2 Packages Yeast

1/4 Cup Warm Water

3/4 Cup Buttermilk

3 Tablespoons Granulated Sugar

1 Teaspoon Salt

3 Tablespoons Shortening

1 Egg, beaten

3 Cups Sifted Flour

1/2 Cup Granulated Sugar

2 Tablespoons Brown Sugar

1/2 Teaspoon Cinnamon

2 Tablespoons Melted Butter

1/4 Cup Chopped Walnuts

Sprinkle yeast into warm water, stir until dissolved. Heat buttermilk until just warm. Pour into a large mixing bowl with 3 tablespoons sugar and salt. Blend well, cool to lukewarm. Stir in yeast, then shortening and egg. Add half the flour and beat until smooth. Add more flour until the mixture begins to clean the sides of the bowl. Turn onto a lightly floured surface. Knead until smooth. Cover with a damp cloth and let rise 5 minutes. Place in a greased 9 inch square pan, pat in evenly. Let rise 30 to 40 minutes. Mix 1/2 cup sugar, brown sugar, cinnamon, melted butter and walnuts. Make several dents in cake with fingers. Cover top with sugar mixture. Bake in a 375 degree oven for 35 to 40 minutes.