My family goes crazy for this coffee cake, one of the most requested items in my recipe box. This moist, tender cake is delicious cut into squares and served either warm or at room temperature, perhaps in a basket alongside muffins and slices of quick bread. It works especially well with a tart apple such as Granny Smith, though at apple picking time, it is a joy to go to the market to find the tartest, crispiest apple you can. Mutsu, Jonagold, Honeycrisps, and Winesaps are just a few examples. Well wrapped, this cake can be frozen for up to three months. Thaw it overnight at room temperature before serving, and store it, covered, at room temperature.
Recipe information
Yield
makes one 9 x 13 x 2-inch coffee cake
Ingredients
For the Topping
For the Cake
Preparation
Step 1
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly butter a 9 x 13 x 2-inch baking pan and line the bottom with parchment paper. Butter the parchment paper.
Step 2
Make the topping: Stir together the walnuts, brown sugar, cinnamon, and salt in a medium mixing bowl. Work in the butter with your fingertips until the mixture is crumbly and moist. Set aside.
Step 3
Make the cake: Combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl and set aside.
Step 4
Using a mixer set on medium speed, cream the butter in a large mixing bowl for 2 to 3 minutes, or until pale and light. Gradually add the sugar, beating well and occasionally scraping down the sides of the bowl. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in the sour cream and vanilla.
Step 5
Add the flour mixture and beat just until incorporated, with no streaks of flour remaining. Fold in the apples and walnuts.
Step 6
Pour the batter into the prepared baking pan. Sprinkle the topping evenly over the cake.
Step 7
Bake for about 40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
Step 8
Remove the cake from the oven and cool in the pan for 10 minutes before cutting the cake into squares to serve.
Picking Apples
Step 9
The best apples for baking aren’t necessarily the best for eating raw. Northern Spies are ideal for a pie, cake, or cobbler since they hold their shape during baking and make for a juicy filling. Pippins, with their firm texture and nice tart flavor, are excellent in pies and cakes. Apples to avoid for baking include MacIntosh, Macouns, and Red Delicious. And though Rome Beauties are wonderful baked, they’re not so flavorful in a pie.
