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Prep time
20 minutes
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Cook time
1 hour
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Makes
one giant bundt
Author Notes
Leave it to The Queen of Cake herself, Maida Heatter, to give us a giant bundt of a coffee cake that doesn't need to hide behind a crumb layer nor a multi-inch shellac of cream cheese.
The cake is dense enough that you can break the slices apart with your fingers (important for: faster eating, fewer utensils, snacking straight from the fridge), and it's tangy and smooth thanks to the 2 cups of sour cream.
Here, the streusel topping typically found on top of coffee cake migrates inwards, in tiger stripes of brown sugar, cinnamon, cocoa, raisins, and nuts that alleviate any batter boredom. It's less messy, it's less precarious, and it offers a reality show-style BIG REVEAL upon first slice.
From Maida Heatter's Book of Great Desserts (Andrews McMeel Publishing 1999). —Sarah Jampel
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Ingredients
- For the nut filling:
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3/4 cup
firmly packed dark brown sugar
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1 tablespoon
cinnamon
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1 tablespoon
unsweetened cocoa
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3 tablespoons
raisins, coarsely chopped
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1 cup
toasted walnuts, finely chopped
- For the cake batter and the icing:
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3 cups
sifted all-purpose flour
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1 1/2 teaspoons
baking powder
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1 1/2 teaspoons
baking soda
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1/2 teaspoon
salt
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6 ounces
(1 1/2 sticks) butter, at room temperature
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3 teaspoons
vanilla extract, vanilla
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1 1/2 cups
sugar
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3
eggs, at room temperature
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2 cups
sour cream, at room temperature
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2 cups
confectioners' sugar
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2 tablespoons
hot milk, plus more as needed
Directions
- For the nut filling:
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In a small bowl, mix together all of the ingredients. Set aside.
- For the cake batter and the icing:
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Preheat the oven to 350° F and butter a 10-inch Bundt pan.
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Into a large bowl, sift flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Using a paddle attachment of a stand mixer, cream the butter. Add 2 teaspoons of the vanilla and the sugar and beat on medium speed for a minute or two.
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Add eggs, one at a time, beating each until just incorporated.
Scrape down sides of bowl, as necessary, to keep mixture smooth. Beat at high speed until mixture is light and creamy, about 1 minute.
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Turn mixer to low speed. Add dry ingredients in three additions and sour cream in two additions, beating only until smooth after each addition.
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Spread a thin layer of batter in bottom of prepared pan. Sometimes it’s easier to use a small spoon to drop some batter into pan, and then to smooth it together. Top with 1/3 of nut mixture. Repeat until you have 4 layers of batter into pan and smooth it together. Top layer will be batter.
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Bake 50 to 60 minutes, or until cake tester inserted in center of cake comes clean. Remove from oven and cool for 5 minutes, then turn out and re-invert on a rack.
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Combine confectioners' sugar, hot milk, and remaining 1 teaspoon vanilla extract in a small bowl. Mix well, Mixture should have the consistency of a thick cream sauce. Place a sheet of wax paper underneath a cooling rack. Pour glaze over cake, letting it run down the sides, while still hot. When glaze is set, transfer cake to a serving plate.
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Serve cake warm or at room temperature.
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