We've all been trapped inside for weeks now. Only neighborhood walks and essential store visits are allowed, and even those only when absolutely necessary. Obviously I'm baking. Cakes and pizza doughs, biscuits and cookies. I get worried when my flour runs low and I get worried when I buy flour that I might be taking it from someone else who needs it.
This was meant to use up product. Just to try to save the very last of the Northern Spy apples slowly wrinkling in the back of the fridge. To use some of the containers of plain yogurt I'd bought knowing they could help stretch my milk since you can bake with yogurt sometimes. And so I sort of Frankensteined this recipe together. Googled a recipe for Apple Sour Cream Coffee Cake, stared at my own recipe for coffee cake and improvised a bit. I didn't take notes. I never do any more now that I never blog anymore.
But it turned out incredible. Like, I'd pay good money for that at a bakery and go back and order it often incredible. So I'm making an attempt to record what I did before I forget it entirely, in the hopes that I can make it again someday. Why is it so good? The secret is the spice blend from La Boîte (linked below). It is out of this world.
APPLE YOGURT COFFEE CAKE
inspired by: Love & Olive Oil and Mrs. Krantz's Coffee Cake
Ingredients:
For the cake:
1/2 C butter softened (1 stick)
1 C granulated sugar
2 eggs (or was it 3 eggs? I CAN'T REMEMBER)
1 C plain Greek Yogurt (I used non-fat)
1 t baking soda
1 3/4 C all purpose flour (plus extra for the apples)
1 1/2 t baking powder
pinch salt
1.5 T vanilla extract (do you measure your vanilla? I never measure vanilla, I just pour it in)
2 apples, peeled, cored and diced. I did not do a fine dice, I made it reasonably chunky.
For the streusel:
1/2 C brown sugar tightly packed, plus extra for sprinkling
1/2 C chopped walnuts
3 T butter
1 t cinnamon
1 t Reims N.39 Spice Blend from La Boîte NY
Directions:
Preheat your oven to 350 F. Butter and flour a springform pan. Love and Olive Oil recommended a parchment at the bottom too but mine came out well with the butter and flour combo.
Cream the butter and sugar together in your stand mixer (or a large bowl). Add the eggs one at a time, mixing between each addition. Add the vanilla.
Add the baking soda to the Greek Yogurt, mix and set aside.
Combine the flour, baking powder and salt in a bowl and mix well.
Add the flour mixture and the yogurt mixture alternately to the creamed butter mixture.
When it is all combined, toss the apples in a bit of flour - maybe 2-3 T, then gently fold into the batter.
Make the streusel: Combine all streusel ingredients. Use your fingers to work the butter through.
Pour half of the batter in the pan. Distribute half the streusel over the batter. It will be a bit clumpy and it won't cover the whole layer of batter. Just try to make sure it's evenly dotted. Pour the rest of the batter. Distribute the remaining streusel over the top. Then use extra brown sugar, gently sprinkled over the top to make sure the top is completely covered.
Pop it in the oven and bake for 45-55 min. Mine was done around 50ish I think. It will be done when a skewer inserted in the center comes out clean of batter. It may have some moisture on it because of the apples, but it shouldn't have batter. Cool in pan on a cookie sheet for 5-10 min. Then run a knife along the edge and gently open the springform. Remove the metal collar. Using an offset spatula gently separate the bottom of the cake from the pan. You can then transfer it to a plate or cake stand.
