Category: Uncategorized
COFFEE CAKE RECIPE
The (amazing) coffee cakes shown above were baked by my grandmother, who passed the recipe along to me and now I am passing it along to you. These things are great for any occasion, not just brunch.
For two cakes as shown, you will need:
- 1/2 cup butter
- 2 cups flour
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 cup sour cream
- 3 eggs
- Strawberry Jam
There’s a topping for it, too:
Topping ingredients:
- 3 teaspoons butter
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/2 cup pecans
These are designed to be baked in loaf pans.
Directions:
- Cream* butter, sugar and vanilla.
- Add eggs
- Add flour mixture (flour, baking powder, baking soda)
- Add sour cream
- Prep loaf pans with cooking spray
- Place 1/4 of above mixture into each loaf pan, for 1/2 of mixture total
- Spread strawberry jam on top
- Add remaining 1/2 of mixture to both pans
- Top with……………..topping
- Bake for 50 minutes at 350 degrees
*I did not know this was an action, rather than the ingredient cream itself and had to call later for clarification.
Try these out and enjoy! You won’t regret it!
Do Not Allow Your Fear To Control You
Just don’t. Whatever pops into your head, act on it.
I was reading a book not 20 minutes ago and the idea for a post title occurred to me. That was all, I only had the title in mind. You are now reading that post.
It took LESS than five minutes, from conception to waiting for my computer to boot up so I could write this, for the fears and doubts to creep in. “What if nobody likes it?” “Hasn’t that topic been done to death?” Fuck all of that, if you have an idea that won’t land you in prison, do it. (While I was waiting for the computer to boot up, I grabbed pencil and paper and started making an outline, by the way. This really did help me shoo the fear away.)
Example: yesterday it rained heavily and afterward, I noticed the concrete pad in my backyard was flooded because the neighbor’s gutter was overflowing. All day, I wrestled and wrangled with how to bring it to their attention without being an asshole. Later that evening, while cutting the grass, I saw said neighbor relaxing on his porch doing whatever on his iPad. I figured it was now or never and they’re (the household is comprised of three or four young guys renting) really cool. So I just walked over there and told him what was going on. I even offered to climb up there and fix it myself. He said no no, he’ll let the landlord know to get somebody out there ASAP. Simple. Today, I have no idea what I was so afraid of yesterday.
It can be, and often starts with, something as simple as telling your neighbor their gutters are overflowing. It probably won’t be perfect but you’ll have done more than the vast majority of people. If you can think it, you can do it. So go do it.
Amelia!
I submit for your interest my youngest bird.
Her name is Amelia and she is a Red Junglefowl, which is an ancestor of modern chickens. She is 12 weeks old and about the size of a Robin, if not slightly larger. I named her Amelia shortly after my friend, the breeder, dropped her (a tiny baby chick) off, as she was already trying to fly, even with no feathers!
Amelia enjoys sitting on my hand, flapping, pooping on everything (if you look closely, she’s made one specially for this photo!) and making weird noises. She has had limited contact with my fully grown Dominique hens, as they are much larger and bird acclimation is a difficult, often dangerous process. So, for the time being, she lives in a plastic tub in my home office, the only place in the house safe from the cat.
I will chronicle her growth, life and times here, on this very blog!
Saturday Morning Pro Tip
If you’ve got a coffee pot (and frankly I don’t know why you don’t, the Kuerig (sp?) doesn’t make coffee fast enough to disassociate yourself from your body and vibrate out of this plane), drop a cinnamon stick in the pot right before you brew. This is a neat trick and I wish I remembered who told me about it so I could give them credit here.
EDIT: It was, in fact my grandmother who suggested this to me.
Anyhow, enjoy this by yourself or jazz up your next brunch!
Joseph McMahon 