Brown Sugar-Topped Cinnamon-and-Sugar Coffee Cake with Vanilla Cream Cheese Glaze
The cake is soft, fluffy, light, and very moist, with just enough density to give it some heft and dimension. In contrast to the cake, the slightly crunchy brown sugar top layer is buttery, firm, crispy and flakey, and nicely complements the springy, bouncy cake. The cake is fast and easy to make, and the batter is whisked together in minutes, without needing to use a mixer. I love cinnamon, and the cake is pleasantly spiced, but if you’re more sensitive to cinnamon, you may wish to dial it down, possibly even halving it. The vanilla cream cheese glaze is sweet and light, with a slight tang, and the perfect contrast to the warming cinnamon and nutmeg flavors. It’s the perfect cake for a brunch, on Christmas morning, or for a rainy day because it’s easy to make on a whim. It’s the type of cake I want to eat on the couch, curled up with a blanket, with a book in one hand, and a mug of hot coffee in the other.
What you need
Instructions
0 Preheat oven to 350F. Line an 8-inch square pan with aluminum foil and spray with cooking spray; set aside. 1 Brown Sugar Topping – Combine all ingredients for topping in a medium bowl, and mash together and toss with a fork until pea-sized clumps form. There will be some sandy bits and some small clumps; set bowl aside. 2 Cake – In a large bowl, whisk together flour, granulated sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, optional salt; set aside. 3 In a large measuring cup or separate small bowl, whisk together the next 5 wet ingredients (through vanilla). 4 Add the wet mixture to the dry, mixing lightly with a spoon until just combined. Small lumps will be present and this is okay. Don’t overmix or try to stir them smooth; set aside. Batter will be on the thicker side. 5 Turn batter out into prepared pan, smoothing the top lightly with a spatula. 6 Evenly sprinkle brown sugar topping mixture over cake batter. 7 Bake for about 35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs, but no batter. Watch your cake, not the clock, and always bake until done, whatever that means in your climate and oven, given the ingredients you used. 8 Place pan on a wire rack and allow cake to cool for at least 30 minutes before optionally glazing. While cake cooks, makes the glaze. 9 Vanilla Cream Cheese Glaze – Combine all ingredients for glaze in a small bowl and whisk together until smooth. Depending on desired consistency, you may need to play with the sugar and milk ratios slightly. Alternatively, this buttery vanilla glaze or this browned butter glaze are also great. 10 Evenly drizzle the glaze over the cake before slicing and serving. If you only plan to consume a small portion of this cake or plan to keep it around for a few days, you may wish to glaze it in portions and as needed, rather than all at once or in advance. Cake will keep airtight at room temperature for up to 5 days. I’m comfortable storing glazed cakes at room temperature, but if you’re not, glaze only the portion you plan to consume immediately. 11 Adapted from Blueberry Muffin and Buttermilk Pancakes Cake, Peaches and Cream Fluffy Muffin Cake, Cream Cheese-Swirled Cherry and Mixed Berries Cake, and Cranberry White Chocolate Chip Bliss CakeView original recipe