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. 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
- 2 teaspoons 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.