Pumpkin Coffee Cake

I'm my best when I am baking.  My soul has been a little sad these days.  Perhaps it's just the crazy busyness, perhaps it's the fall creeping up on us, the loss of light...I don't know but there is a little blue.

I didn't realize it so much but it's reflected in my baking.  I don't know why but I realized it looking at this coffee cake.  This is my favorite coffee cake of all time.  I can make it anytime since the recipe calls for canned pumpkin but I love to make it in the fall.

I had a little brunch get together this past weekend and it's there I served it.  Please enjoy.

This recipe comes Bakerella.com blog.  I tweaked it a little bit by adding cardamon and a tip from America's Best Kitchen.  They recommend when using canned pumpkin, to cook it a bit with the spices of the recipe.  It suppose to get rid of the slight metallic taste.  Not sure if I noticed the difference but the cake was good.

Streusel
1/3 cup of all purpose flour
1/2 cup of firmly packed brown sugar
1 tsp of ground cinnamon
Pinch of salt
6 tbsp of cold unsalted butter cut into dice size
1 cup of toasted pecans salted

In a bowl combine the flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, and salt.  Toss in the butter and using a pastry cutter, cut it into the dry ingredients until the mixture looks like course crumbs.  Stir in pecans. Set aside.

Glaze
1/2 cup of confectioner's sugar sifted
1 tsp of whole milk
1 tsp of pure vanilla extract

In a small bowl, whisk together the confectioners' sugar, milk, and vanilla.  Add drops of more milk if too thick.  Let it sit covered while making the cake.

Batter
1/2 cup of pumpkin puree
2 tsp of cinnamon
1 tsp of cardamon
1 tsp of ginger
1/4 tsp of nutmeg

1 1/2 cups of all purpose flour

2 tsp of baking powder

1/2 tsp of baking soda

1/2 tsp of kosher salt
1/2 cup or 1 stick of unsalted butter
1 cup of firmly packed brown sugar
2 large eggs
1/2 cup of sour cream

Heat oven to 350 degree and position the rack in the middle of the oven.  
Butter and flour a 9 inch cake pan with 3-inch sides or a bundt pan with straight sides.
In a small sauce pan over low heat, place the pumpkin puree, cinnamon, cardamon, ginger, and nutmeg and cook over medium heat until it thickens and most of the moisture is cooked away, about 10 min.  Set aside.
In a bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.  
In a different bowl or your stand mixer, beat the butter, brown sugar on medium-high speed until well combined.  Beat in the eggs, one at a time, scraping the down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula.  Add the pumpkin mixture and the sour cream with a spatula. Stir in the flour mixture.  The batter will be thick.
Spread half of the batter into the prepared pan.  Sprinkle half of the streusel over the batter.  Dollop the remaining batter over the streusel and even out the batter.  Top with remaining streusel.  Put in oven and bake for about 50 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean.  
Cool about 15 minutes and remove from pan. 
Using a spoon, drizzle the glaze over the top of the cake. 

Must eat with hot coffee or tea!

Fig & Brown Sugar Coffee Cake - Gluten Free

Oh man, this is my favorite flavors this time of the year! Figs!  Brown Sugar! It's so warm and cozy to eat with coffee or tea in the cold fall Seattle weather.  Look at that loveliness!

This is right out of the oven, pre-glaze...

I made this with the Cup 4 Cup gluten free flour.  Can't tell the difference from the regular flour.  Really!

For the cake:
1 C Brown Sugar (packed)
1.5 C Gluten Free Flour
2 tsp  Baking Powder
1/2 tsp Baking Soda
2 Eggs
1 C Sour Cream
1 C of Figs quartered

-Preheat oven to 350

-Butter or spray a 9" cake pan

-Mix the sugar, flour, baking powder, baking soda in large bowl.

-In a smaller bowl, whip eggs and sour cream.

-Fold in the egg mixture to the dry flour mixture until well combined

-Bake for about 35-40 min. Test with a tooth pick in the center until it comes out clean.  Let cake cool completely.

-Pour the mixture into a cake pan and spread out evenly.
-Place the figs evenly balanced over the cake mixture.

For the glaze:
1/4 C Brown Sugar (packed)
1 1/2 C of Powder Sugar
1/2 tsp of Cinnamon
1/2 tsp of Cardamon
2  tbsp of Honey
2  tbsp of warm water
-Combine all ingredients until well mixed, let it set for 30 min until all sugars are dissolved.
-Drizzle on to warm cake and serve.

White Peach Coffee Cake - Gluten Free!

You know sometimes you meet certain people and you just click.  At first meeting, it just feels like a friend you have known all your life and it's just fun and easy to be around them.  You laugh at the same things and you are on the same page.  This is the case with my friend Erika.  I met her about 3 years ago because we were on the same project, and we probably met in person less than three times since, but I just have so much joy around her and she is good people.

She was coming to Seattle for an event and came in early to stay with me.  I know she likes food as much as I do and upon arrival, I got a shocking news that she is now gluten free.  I was thinking no! not you!  Everyone is doing the gluten free thing.  I mean, I get it, I read parts of the book Wheat Belly and I do feel much better when I do eat gluten free, but I can never give up flour and regular baked good.  I've not come across that great baked goodies made with gluten free ingredients. I had planned cooking a nice brunch since breakfast is my favorite meal to make, but now I thought what I am going to bake?   

Well, I had recently picked up a new gluten free flour from Thomas Keller, yes Thomas Keller has a new flour called Cup 4 Cup.  I thought, I will test my favorite coffee cake recipe with this.  

Peaches are in season now and while I was at the grocery store, just a whiff of a white donut peach smelled amazing !  I mean, it smells like a peach lotion where the scent is exaggerated and but lovely!  This was the coffee cake flavor I was going to make.  

Well, I have to say, I was so surprised!  The Cup 4 Cup flour didn't make a difference to the coffee cake.  It tasted the same and the texture was just as soft and moist as regular flour. Wow!  Erika agreed.  Best of all, didn't get the bloat and energy drain that you get with normal flour.  

Here is the recipe.

For the cake:
1 C Sugar
1.5 C Gluten Free Flour
2 tsp  Baking Powder
1/2 tsp Baking Soda
2 Eggs
1 C Sour Cream
4 White Donut Peaches Sliced

-Preheat oven to 350

-Butter or spray a 9" cake pan

-Mix the sugar, flour, baking powder, baking soda in large bowl.

-In a smaller bowl, whip eggs and sour cream.

-Fold in the egg mixture to the dry flour mixture until well combined

-Pour the mixture into a cake pan and spread out evenly.
-Place the peaches evenly balanced over the cake mixture
-Bake for about 35-40 min. Test with a tooth pick in the center until it comes out clean.  Let cake cool completely.

For the streusel:

1 C Brown Sugar

2 oz or 1/4 C of Butter, cut in dice sizes and cold

1/4 C Rice Flour

1 tsp Salt

1/2 C Toasted Pecans

-Combine and mix the brown sugar and butter with a fork until blended and has sandy texture.  

-Stir in rice flour and salt and toss around until the texture of the mixture is lighter and not clumpy.  

-Stir in the pecans.

-When cake is cooled, spoon the mixture evenly distributed to cover the cake.

Erika has motivated me to try to eat less flour and try my other recipes like biscuits and cookies with this gluten free flour.  We will see!    

Brunch for Gurls

Today was a fun day to catch up with friends from a software localization class we took at UW a few years ago.  I've ran into or come across these friends at some point since our class ended and we've been meaning to get together for some time.  So I shared my favorite meal of brunch.  The funny and cool thing is...all of these friends are major foodies!  They love food as much as I do.  

Huckleberry & Lime Coffee Cake

Here is the recipe for Shino...


1 C Sugar
1.5 C Flour
2 tsp  Baking Powder
1/2 tsp Baking Soda
2 Eggs
1 C Sour Cream
1 C Huckleberries (fresh or frozen)
1 C Powder Sugar
Zest of 1 Lime
Juice of 1/2 Lime

-Preheat oven to 350

-Butter or spray a 9" cake pan

-Mix the sugar, flour, baking powder, baking soda in large bowl.

-In a smaller bowl, whip eggs and sour cream.

-Fold in the egg mixture to the dry flour mixture until well combined

-Pour the mixture into a cake pan and bake for about 35-40 min. Test with a tooth pick in the center until it comes out clean.  Let cake cool completely.

-Combine and mix the lime zest, juice, and the powder sugar.  Set aside and let it dissolve the sugar until all the lumps gone.

-When cake is cooled, spoon and drizzle the lime mixture onto the center of the cake.

Paprika Roasted Small Potatoes

Buttermilk Biscuits..
I actually made these for the Bacon & Egg Sandwiches but forgot to take photo of the actual sandwiches

Spinach & Feta Quiche

Beet Orange Salad with Pistachios

Odd Fellows Cafe

Odd Fellows Cafe is one of those nice neighborhood spots you can count on for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.  Food is very rustic and homemade, but in a very urban setting.  In addition, they have a full bar.  It reminds me of a cafe in West Village in NYC but it's in our very own, located in Seattle's Capitol Hill.  Odd Fellows Cafe Website

Here is a pic of the place from their website.

I was introduced to this place by my ex who lived in this neighborhood.  We used to go there to get coffee and pastry, then using their free wifi and work.  I've also been there for brunch with dear friends.  Breakfast and lunch is counter service but dinner is full service.  

Apple Coffee Cake and Bundt Cake

Soy Mocha

Potato Soup

What I love about this place vs. just a coffee or bakery shop is that you can get wonderful pastries but also something savory like a salad, soup, or sandwiches.  Here is one of those work days where I got coffee, a pastry, and soup.  It was a good day to spend time with a dear friend and catch up on work.  I have fond memories...

Coffee Cake

This week has been all about coffee cake. I made 3 versions this week for office mates at work, and for a brunch this morning.  I'm still in the process of testing and perfecting the recipe.  I keep over baking it and the bottom is a but tough.  I really want it to be moist, tender, velvety cake with fabulous flavorful toppings.   I'll keep trying...


Apple Spice
This had green apples, cardamon, cinnamon, and nutmeg.  I think I over did the spice.  I do love this round cake the best.

Banana Pecan
This was pretty good made with over-riped bananas and toasted salty pecans.

Apple Cinnamon
In terms of classic flavor, I think this is best.  Keep it simple with cinnamon and forgo the other spices.

More to come with recipe once I can perfect a recipe.

Holiday Brunch with Friends

This morning I had some dear friends over for brunch.  This meal of the day is truly one of my favorite things to make.   It also helps to serve with Mimosa!

Fruit of Melons and Blueberries
I love the colors here.

Bagels & Lox
My brother brought over some fresh bagels, smoked salmon, and good cream cheese.  He did such a great job slicing the salmon so thin.

Cheese and Scallion Biscuits

Apple Spice Coffee Cake

Roasted Pepper Potatoes

Simple Scrambled Eggs with Chives

Maple Bacon
I wish at times I could eat bacon.  It fills the house with a smell that says it's morning.  This version is made in the oven.  I brush the bacon with pure maple syrup then bake it in it's own fat until "almost" done.  I then take it out of the oven, drain the fat, put it on a rack, then bake some more until crisp.  

Janine said it was the best bacon she's ever had.  Looks her son Wilson also liked it too.  He is so cute!