I love having a few dessert recipes up my sleeve that are quick, easy and use ingredients that I always have on hand. This coffee cake fits the bill. It's sweet and simple. The perfect thing to whip up when unexpected guests arrive or you get a craving for something sweet but don't feel like making a trip to the bakery. It's similar to my sour cream coffee cake, but uses yogurt instead (because I was out of sour cream). The yogurt makes it sweeter. You can use either one in this recipe. Also, I used nuts in the cinnamon mixture, but it will work without them. Remember, this is all about using what you have. No trips to the grocery store!
COFFEE CAKE
1 stick butter, softened
1 cup sugar
1 egg
1/2 cup plain, nonfat yogurt
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup all purpose flour
1/2 TBS baking powder
1/8 tsp salt (a pinch)
Cinnamon Mixture:
2 TBS brown sugar
1/2 TBS cinnamon
2 TBS chopped nuts (pecans, walnuts, etc.)
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 9 inch cake pan with cooking spray. Cream the butter and sugar together with a mixer. Add egg, yogurt and vanilla. Mix well. In a separate bowl, blend flour, baking powder and salt. Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture and gently stir until combined.
Set aside. In a small bowl, mix brown sugar, cinnamon and nuts. Pour half of the batter into the prepared cake pan. Sprinkle the cinnamon mixture on top, like this:
Add remaining batter on top of the cinnamon mixture. Gently spread it out to completely cover.
Bake at 350 degrees for 30 - 35 minutes or until golden brown and a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.
My parents were visiting and started eating it before I could snap a pic! They said it smelled too good to wait. (A compliment I will gladly take)
This cake goes great with a cup of coffee (hence the name) or a cup of tea. It doesn't even need icing! Give this one a try the next time you need a quick, easy dessert.
