I'm looking for my mom's recipe for coffee cake that I grew up with. This was the first attempt.
1¼ cup flour
1 cup packed brown sugar
1/3 cup shortening salted butter1/4 1/8 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 cup buttermilk or sour milk
1/3 cup chopped walnuts
Combine flower, brown sugar, and salt. Cut in butter until mixture is crumbly; set aside 1/4 cup crumb mixture. To remaining crumb mixture, add baking powder, soda, and spices; Mixed well. Add buttermilk or sour milk and egg; Mix well. Pour into a greased, 8 x 8-inch baking pan. Combine reserved crumbs with nuts; Sprinkle atop cake. Bake in a 375 degree oven for 20 to 25 minutes. Serve warm.
I reduced the salt because I used salted butter. I also threw additional nuts on top, probably at least another 2 tablespoons. I didn't even notice that the recipe called for a round pan; I used a square one.
This was so close, but not quite. The cake was brown from the sugar, but my mom's cake was light. Did she use white sugar instead? I doubt it -- she rarely deviated from recipes. It seemed like hers was thicker, and I think there was more topping.
Conclusion: Pretty basic. A little sweet -- I'd like the topping to be sweeter than the cake; these were about equal. I would cut the cake sugar by half and increase the amount of topping. It could probably withstand some whole wheat flour, too.
Recipe: Spicy Buttermilk Coffee Cake via Better Homes and Gardens New Cookbook, ninth edition (1985)
