Make-Ahead Icebox Apple-Walnut Coffee Cake
By America's Test KitchenPublished on June 18, 2012
Time
1¾ hours
Yield
Serves 12
Ingredients
Streusel
⅔ cup packed (4⅔ ounces/132 grams) light brown sugar ⅔ cup (4⅔ ounces/132 grams) granulated sugar ⅔ cup (3⅓ ounces/94 grams) all-purpose flour 1 ½ tablespoons ground cinnamon 8 tablespoons (1 stick) cold unsalted butter, cut into ½-inch pieces½ cup chopped walnutsCake
3 ½ cups (17½ ounces/496 grams) all-purpose flour 1 cup packed (7 ounces/198 grams) light brown sugar 1 cup (7 ounces/198 grams) granulated sugar 2 teaspoons baking powder 1 teaspoon baking soda 1 ½ teaspoons ground cinnamon ½ teaspoon salt 12 tablespoons (1 ½ sticks) unsalted butter, softened3 large eggs 1 ¾ cups sour cream ⅔ cup apple butterBefore You Begin
This recipe produces two small coffee cakes, which can be baked on different days if desired (unbaked cakes can be frozen for up to 1 month). We omit the nuts from the streusel used inside the coffee cake, because the nuts give off steam when baked, which can make the cake soggy. If you don’t have two 9-inch round pans, use two 8-inch square pans instead.
Instructions
- For the streusel: Pulse sugars, flour, cinnamon, and butter in food processor until mixture resembles coarse meal. Divide streusel in half. Stir walnuts into one half and reserve separately.
- For the cake: Grease two 9-inch cake pans. With electric mixer on medium-low speed, mix flour, sugars, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt in large bowl. Beat in butter, 1 tablespoon at a time, until mixture is crumbly with pea-sized pieces, 1 to 2 minutes. Add eggs, one at a time, until combined. Add sour cream in 3 additions, scraping down bowl as necessary. Increase speed to medium-high and beat until batter is light and fluffy, about 2 minutes.
- Divide half of batter between prepared pans. Sprinkle streusel without nuts evenly over each pan. Divide remaining batter evenly between pans and spread 1/3 cup apple butter over batter in each pan. Top with nutty streusel. Wrap pans with plastic wrap and refrigerate for up to 24 hours or freeze for up to 1 month.
- When ready to serve: Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 350 degrees. Unwrap cakes and bake until golden brown and toothpick inserted in center comes out with a few dry crumbs attached, about 45 minutes (about 55 minutes if frozen). Cool at least 15 minutes. Serve.
Time
1¾ hoursYield
Serves 12Ingredients
Streusel
Cake
Ingredients
Streusel
Cake
Ingredients
Streusel
Cake
Why This Recipe Works
We found several make-ahead coffee cake recipes that call for the cake batter, topped with streusel, to be refrigerated overnight. Unfortunately, the overnight stay wreaked havoc on these coffee cakes—some recipes were dry, others squat and gummy, and a few misshapen and tainted by off-putting flavors. And when it came to the streusel, most of it was dull and floury. We wanted a make-ahead coffee cake recipe that could withstand overnight refrigeration. To achieve this, we used the reverse creaming method of cutting the butter into the dry ingredients until crumbly before the wet ingredients are incorporated—the technique worked wonders here, because less air is worked into the batter, so there is less deflation. Tucking half of the streusel inside the cake (between layers of batter) also helped promote a sturdier cake. For our coffee cake recipe’s streusel topping, we cut a little butter and flour into our mixture of walnuts, sugar, and cinnamon. The added moisture allowed the topping to clump and stay put on top of the cake.
Before You Begin
This recipe produces two small coffee cakes, which can be baked on different days if desired (unbaked cakes can be frozen for up to 1 month). We omit the nuts from the streusel used inside the coffee cake, because the nuts give off steam when baked, which can make the cake soggy. If you don’t have two 9-inch round pans, use two 8-inch square pans instead.
Instructions
- For the streusel: Pulse sugars, flour, cinnamon, and butter in food processor until mixture resembles coarse meal. Divide streusel in half. Stir walnuts into one half and reserve separately.
- For the cake: Grease two 9-inch cake pans. With electric mixer on medium-low speed, mix flour, sugars, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt in large bowl. Beat in butter, 1 tablespoon at a time, until mixture is crumbly with pea-sized pieces, 1 to 2 minutes. Add eggs, one at a time, until combined. Add sour cream in 3 additions, scraping down bowl as necessary. Increase speed to medium-high and beat until batter is light and fluffy, about 2 minutes.
- Divide half of batter between prepared pans. Sprinkle streusel without nuts evenly over each pan. Divide remaining batter evenly between pans and spread 1/3 cup apple butter over batter in each pan. Top with nutty streusel. Wrap pans with plastic wrap and refrigerate for up to 24 hours or freeze for up to 1 month.
- When ready to serve: Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 350 degrees. Unwrap cakes and bake until golden brown and toothpick inserted in center comes out with a few dry crumbs attached, about 45 minutes (about 55 minutes if frozen). Cool at least 15 minutes. Serve.
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