Sour Cream Coffeecake A Comforting Snack

A slice of coffeecake and a good cup of coffee can cure anything from a broken friendship to the sensation of creeping boredom as your mate settles in for a full day of televised football.

Yes, coffeecake is little more than butter, flour, sugar and eggs. It’s the way the ingredients come together in a crumbly and comforting snack that makes all the difference. Coffeecake doesn’t demand your attention the way that a triple-layer chocolate cake would, but there are times when you want something satisfying, not a rich jolt.

New Year’s Day, when you’ve had enough of exotic food and drink, is a fine time to make a coffeecake. You probably have the ingredients on hand already.

The following recipe comes from Jane Davis, a Chicago-area baker and consultant to the baking industry. The recipe has been in her family for years, and although simple, it is one of the favorite cakes in her repertoire. She recommends using butter, not margarine, in the batter.

Jane Davis’ Sour Cream Coffeecake

1/2 cup unsalted butter

1 cup sugar

4 large eggs, at room temperature

2 cups flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 cup sour cream

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Streusel topping (recipe follows)

Cream butter and sugar in bowl of electric mixer until light and creamy. Beat in eggs.

Stir together flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt in bowl. Alternately add flour mixture and sour cream to butter mixture. Add vanilla and stir to blend.

Prepare topping. Pour half the batter into a greased and floured 8-inch square pan. Sprinkle on half the topping. Top with remaining batter. Sprinkle on remaining topping.

Bake at 325 degrees until cake is firm to the touch and wood pick inserted in center comes out clean, 45 to 50 minutes. Allow cake to cool 30 minutes before cutting; otherwise, it is very crumbly.

Yield: 9 servings.

Nutrition information per serving: 444 calories, 21 grams fat (43 percent fat calories), 7 grams protein, 59 grams carbohydrate, 140 milligrams cholesterol, 329 milligrams sodium.

Note: This cake should be eaten or frozen the day it is made. To serve, thaw and reheat in oven at 325 degrees 10 minutes before serving.

Streusel Topping

3 tablespoons brown sugar

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

2 tablespoons butter

Stir together brown sugar, granulated sugar and cinnamon. Cut in butter until mixture is crumbly.