RUSSIAN SOUR CREAM COFFEE CAKE

RUSSIAN SOUR CREAM COFFEE CAKE image

Yield 8 people

Number Of Ingredients 14

Ingredients

CAKE BATTER
2 cups all-purpose flour (spoon flour into dry-measure cup and level off)
l teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
¼ teaspoon salt
½ cup (4 oz.) butter
1½ cups sugar
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla flavoring
1 cup sour cream
WALNUT TOPPING/FILLING
1 generous cup (about 4-5 ounces) roasted walnuts, coarsely chopped
¼ cup brown sugar
2 generous teaspoons ground cinnamon

Steps:

Sift dry ingredients - the flour, baking powder, baking soda and 1. salt into a bowl. 2. Whisk the dry ingredients, mixing well. In the bowl of a heavy-duty mixer beat the butter and sugar with the paddle on medium speed until soft and light, about 5 minutes. 3. 4. Beat in the eggs one at a time, beating until smooth after each addition. 5. Add the vanilla flavouring and mix well. Decrease the mixer speed to low and beat in one-third of the flour mixture, followed by half the sour cream. Stop the mixer and scrape down the bowl and beater. Beat in another third of the flour mixture, then the remaining sour cream. Stop and scrape again. Beat in the remaining flour mixture. Caution don't over beat once you start adding the flour. 6. 7. To make the topping stir the ingredients together until evenly mixed. 8. Scrape half the batter into the prepared pan and sprinkle with half the topping. 9. Cover with the remaining batter. 10. Smooth the top and sprinkle with the remaining topping. Bake for 50 to 55 minutes, or until the cake is well-risen and deep gold and a toothpick inserted midway between the sides of the pan and the central tube emerges clean. 11. Cool in the pan on a rack for 30 minutes, then invert onto a plate and lift off the pan. Invert the cake onto a rack to cool completely. 12. Notes Scatter the walnuts onto a cookie sheet and roast in the oven for about 10 minutes. Watch carefully that they do not brown. Roasting your walnuts before you use them in baking gives you a lovely rich nutty flavour. Do it even if your recipes don't call for it. Keep this wonderful coffee cake wrapped in plastic or under a cake dome at room temperature, or double wrap and freeze for longer storage. You'll get 16 generous servings with this recipe, perfect for a big family gathering. VARIATIONS You could add a generous ½ cup of raisins or currants to the topping. Or bake in two buttered and parchment