Take a Megabite

Apple Coffee Cake with Crumble Topping & Brown Sugar Glaze

I remember this episode of Garfield from when I was a little girl where there was free ice cream in the park, and he kept going back for more by wearing a fake mustache, a hat, sunglasses, or other various disguises. Speaking of disguises. This is a dessert disguised as breakfast. Make it for house guests this lovely Labor Day, and you’ll be glad you did. People might even put on fake mustaches when they go get piece number three.

I thought about remaking this into muffins…but there’s something about the middle piece of a coffee cake that held me back. I’m not always a fan of apples baked into cakes, but this is delicious. It’s a brown sugar cinnamon cake with crumbled goodness and then even more brown sugar drizzled on top. I happen to love brown sugar and the glaze put me over the top in my need to make this. I was daydreaming about it, and it sure didn’t disappoint.

Apple Coffee Cake with Crumble Topping and Brown Sugar Glaze
Recipe adapted from Emeril Lagasse . Bam?

Ingredients:

Cake -

• 4 T unsalted butter (1/2 stick), softened +1 t
• 3/4 cup brown sugar
• 1 cup flour
• 1 egg
• 1/2 t baking soda
• 1/2 t cinnamon
• 1/4 t salt
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 1/2 t vanilla
• 1 heaping cup of chopped apples, peeled for sure (about 1 large apple)

Crumble Topping -

• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 1/4 cup flour
• 1/4 t cinnamon
• 2 T unsalted butter, softened

Brown Sugar Glaze -

• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 1/4 t vanilla extract
• 1 T water

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease an 8 x 8 baking dish with one teaspoon of softened butter.
2. Make cake. In a large bowl cream together four tablespoons of softened butter and brown sugar. Add egg, beat. In a small bowl sift together flour, baking soda, cinnamon and salt. In another small bowl whisk together sour cream and vanilla. Add flour mixture to butter mixture alternating with sour cream and vanilla. Fold in apples. Pour into prepared baking dish, spreading to edges.
3. Make crumble topping. Combine sugar, flour, cinnamon and butter with a fork until it resembles coarse crumbs and sprinkle on top. Bake 30-35 minutes or until golden and set. Cool 10 minutes.
4. Make glaze. In a small bowl combine sugar, vanilla and water and mix until smooth. Drizzle cake with glaze and let harden slightly. Allow to cool for about 20 minutes for easier serving. (Simply double if you want to make it in a 9 x 13 pan.)

The smell of this baking is like going to the cider mill for the first time when the leaves start changing.

Blueberry Streusel Coffee Cake

Shnozberries taste like shnozberries and this coffeecake right there looks like pac-man.

Most importantly it tastes delicious, and sometimes coffee cake can be dessert with a grilled dinner.

Good thing it’s summer because these blueberries are Michigan’s finest, and they needed to be used promptly or they would’ve ruined everything by giving up on life.

So make this! For dessert! For breakfast! For guests! For fun! For the sake of all blueberries in the world that need a home!

Blueberry Streusel Coffee Cake
Recipe from Quick and Simple

Ingredients:

Streusel -

• 1/2 cup flour
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 t cinnamon
• 1/4 cup (1/2 stick) cold unsalted butter, cut into pieces
• 1/4 cup chopped walnuts

Batter -

• 5 T unsalted butter at room temperature
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1/2 t pure vanilla extract
• 1 3/4 cup flour
• 2 t baking powder
• 1/2 t baking soda
• 1/4 t salt
• 1 1/2 cups fresh or frozen blueberries

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350ºF and grease a 9-inch springform pan.
2. To prepare streusel: In a medium bowl, mix together flour, brown sugar and cinnamon. Cut in butter with your pastry blender or fingers until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Stir in walnuts. Set aside.
3. To prepare batter: Beat all batter ingredients (except blueberries) in a large bowl with an electric mixer at medium speed. Pour batter into prepared pan and scatter blueberries over the top.
4. Sprinkle streusel mixture evenly over blueberries. Bake for 1 hour (check at 50 minutes), or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool cake for 15 minutes in pan on wire rack. Remove side of pan and cool for another hour before serving.

I’m dessert AND breakfast and so I’m multitalented.