Coffee cake is one of those retro specialties, an old-school standby from the Mrs. Maisel era. You know, when having a nice, simple, home-baked “something” to serve with coffee was hostessing done right.
Jump to RecipeIt didn’t have to be decorated to within an inch of its life and Instagram-ready. Delicious sufficed.
Even my ma, a reluctant cook, was justly proud of her Bundt cake and made it for just about every occasion. It was moist, nutty, and utterly perfect with a cup of joe. Her Sour Cream Coffee Cake was one of the few recipes she left behind, and a lightened-up version even made it into the pages of Cooking Light magazine.
Mom’s version of her sour cream coffee cake.
She tactfully noted that the lighter version was nice, though she was sad to see the original’s 1 cup of coarsely chopped walnuts (the best part, in her opinion!) trimmed down to a scant 1/4 cup of finely chopped nuts.
My ma, a reluctant cook, was justly proud of her Bundt coffee cake and made it for just about every occasion. It was moist, nutty, and utterly perfect with a cup of joe
This time of year, I’m moved to make Mom’s coffee cake — in her Harvest Gold aluminum Bundt pan, of course. And me being me, I can’t resist a few changes: I use a combo of all-purpose and whole-wheat pastry flours, and I’ve swapped the tablespoon of lemon extract in her version for lemon zest and juice. But I for damn sure don’t mess with the nuts.
Mom’s Sour Cream Coffee Cake
Equipment
- 1 medium bowl
- 1 large bowl
- 1 whisk
- 1 electric mixer
- 1 Bundt pan
- 1 wire rack
Ingredients
- 1½ cups all-purpose flour
- 1½ cups whole wheat pastry flour
- 1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 8 ounces butter (2 sticks, softened, plus extra for pan)
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- 6 large eggs, at room temperature
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon almond extract
- 1 cup sour cream
- 1 cup very coarsely chopped walnuts
- powdered sugar, for garnish
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325°F. Butter and flour a Bundt pan.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together flours, zest, baking soda and salt.
- In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar with an electric mixer. Beat in eggs one at a time. Beat in juice and extract. Alternate beating in flour mixture and sour cream. Stir in nuts. Scrape batter into prepared pan. Bake for 1 hour or until a wooden pick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool in pan for 15 minutes. Invert the cake onto a wire rack, and cool completely. Before serving, sift powdered sugar over the top.