I had no idea that this was a thing, however, I am 100% here for it. National Coffee Cake Day is coming up on Sunday, April 7th. I had no idea that this delicious cake has a intriguing history; according to Wikipedia…
“American Coffee cake—also referred to as gugelhupf or Austrian German: kaffekuchen—evolved from other sweet dishes from Vienna. In the 17th century, Northern/Central Europeans are thought to have come up with the idea of eating sweet cakes while drinking coffee. As the region’s countries were already known for their sweet yeast breads, the introduction of coffee in Europe led to the understanding that cakes were a great complement to the beverage. Immigrants from countries such as Germany and Scandinavia adjusted their recipes to their own liking and brought them to America. Though the cakes varied, they all contained ingredients such as yeast, flour, dried fruit, and sweet spices. However, over time, the coffee cake recipes have changed as cheese, sugared fruit, yogurt, soured cream, have been used, leading to a denser, more cake-like structure. In the 19th century, American cooks also used coffee as an ingredient to thriftily use up leftovers, reducing waste, and flavor the cake. The invention of pasteurization in America following World War I also led to the creation of a new kind of coffee cake, called sour cream coffee cake. Coffee cake or gugelhupf is referenced in literary material as early as 1850 and 1763 respectively.”
I know you aren’t here for a history lesson –you are here for a recipe…
Hungarian Coffee Cake
Ingredients
3 cups AP flour
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup white sugar
1 cup margarine
¼ teaspoon salt
1 cup buttermilk
2 eggs
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Directions
- Mix the first five ingredients together in a bowl until crumbly. Measure 1 cup mixture and set aside for later use.
- Stir buttermilk, eggs, and baking soda into crumbly mixture until batter is smooth.
- Pour batter into a greased 9X13 baking dish.
- Sprinkle reserved crumbly mixture over top of batter; top with cinnamon.
- Bake at 350F for 45 minutes