Jewish Coffee Cake (Ann Simpson)

Possibly, my search for a perfect coffee cake ends with this recipe.

Almost.

After the first attempt, I'm not ready to declare it better than Pattie Wheeler's Night Before Coffee Cake.

Still, this cake has a wonderful, rich flavor and is very moist, with a really nice cinnamon-nut swirl through the middle.

The directions say to bake this in a loaf pan, so I did, and it came out a little funny-looking. The bottom half is slightly darker than the top, and when the cake is sliced, the cinnamon-nut layer looks like a big smile. Next time, I will put ⅔ of the batter on the bottom instead of ½.

I can't decide how I feel about there not being any kind of topping. As a slice of a loaf, it doesn't really need it, but on the other hand, a light glaze of powdered sugar icing could be a nice final touch. I may also try it in a bundt pan sometime. I'll report back if I do.

In the meantime, I encourage you treat yourself to this lovely recipe soon!
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Jewish Coffee Cake
from Ann Simpson

Batter:
1 stick butter
1 cup sugar
2 well-beaten eggs
1½ cup all-purpose flour
1½ tsp baking powder
¼ tsp salt
1 cup sour cream
1 tsp soda
1 tsp vanilla

Nut Mixture:
¼ cup brown sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
3-4 tbsp chopped pecans

Cream sugar and butter, then add eggs. Add sour cream to which the soda has been added, and the flour to which the baking powder and salt have been added. Add vanilla. [I stirred vanilla into the sour cream.]

Pour or spread ½ [or ⅔] batter into well-greased [loaf] pan. Sprinkle nut mixture over top, then spread the rest of the batter on top.

Bake in 10"x5½" pan - moderate oven 350 - 30 minutes.
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