Cranberry-Walnuts Coffee Cake
Moist and Mild Sweet Evening Coffee Cake
Posted By Savita
Do you often hunt for moist yet lite sweet coffee cakes at bakery or coffee shop? I do not know about you but I love sipping freshly brewed coffee with soft (especially scant sweet) cakes. Baking is quintessential in my home during holiday season and this time of the year, I love baking moist and lite coffee cakes for evening tea or coffee and for gifting.
This season, few weeks back, I baked small Cranberry and Walnuts cake for evening tea on weekend, we really enjoyed it and I thought to post recipe on blog whenever I bake it again. Then, a few of our friends were visiting us for holidays. I baked coffee cake again and it vanished from the kitchen counter the same day. In nutshell, I could not take pictures for the blog again. Today, I baked 2 batches of cake for gifting few of our friends for holidays and took time to take few shots. Finally!!
Secret ingredient in this cake is sour cream (no longer a secret, right?) Acetic acid (sourness) in Sour Cream mixed with pinch of salt and bicarbonate of soda, release carbon dioxide gas which escapes as air bubbles, making sour cream lite and airy, almost like whipped egg whites. Fold it in cake batter as you will fold the egg whites and you have it, the most moist and delicious (new family and friend favorite these days) cranberry, walnuts coffee cake. For the sugar part, I always prefer desserts with low sugar contents. If you like rich sweet cakes like you get in coffee shops, then add 1/2 cup more sugar to the ingredients list below.
This is my – gift from kitchen so far this holiday season. What kind of gifts from kitchen, you like to share with your friends?
Pairing Ideas:
Ingredients
- 1/2 Cup Walnuts (or pecans, roughly chopped)
- 1/2 Cup Cranberries (I used 1/4 cup cranberries and 1/4 cup raisins)
- 1 & 3/4 Cup All-Purpose Flour
- 1 Cup Sugar
- 1/2 Cup Unsalted Butter (1 stick of butter at room temprature)
- 1 & 1/4 Cup Sour Cream
- 1/8 tsp Salt (Kosher Salt)
- 2 Egg(s) (extra large eggs at room temprature)
- 1 & 1/4 tsp Baking Soda (bicarbonate of soda)
- 1 & 3/4 tsp Baking Powder
Directions
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1. Preheat oven to 350 F. Soak cranberries and raisins (if using) into hot water for 10 minutes. Drain, squeeze dry and set aside. -
2. In a small bowl, mix well, sour cream with salt and baking soda and leave aside. -
3. In a mixer with whisk attachment or using hand whisk, cream together eggs, butter and sugar. -
4. Mix should be lite and creamy, pale yellow in color and should not feel gritty when rubbed. (Sugar should be fully dissolved) It takes about 5-6 minutes. -
5. Sift together all-purpose flour and baking powder. Mix in cranberries and walnuts and mix it in creamed butter and eggs mixture in 2 to 3 batches. Just until combined, do not over-mix. Now, gently fold in sour cream to the batter as you will fold the whipped egg whites with cut and fold strokes. Again, do not over-mix. -
6. Transfer batter to a 9 by 9 inch prepared deep pan. -
7. Gently smooth the top with a silicon spatula. -
8. Bake until toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out almost clean, 40-45 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack and let it cool completely. Cut into square, serve warm with hot coffee. Enjoy!
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