Quick cake for mom

Avoid the cooking chaos of Mother’s Day morning. Prepare this easy breakfast-in-bed coffee cake two to three days in advance. On the big morning, just brew some coffee and warm a slice in the microwave or toaster oven.

Quick Pear Streusel Coffee Cake Recipe from “Gale Gand’s Brunch!” by Gale Gand, Clarkson Potter, 2009

For the cake:

Unsalted butter, for the baking dish

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

2 1/4 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1 large egg

1/2 cup whole milk

4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

2 ripe pears, not peeled, cored and chopped (1 1/2 cups)

For the streusel topping:

1/2 cup sugar

1/4 cup all-purpose flour

3 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into small chunks

1 teaspoon cinnamon

Heat the oven to 400 degrees. Use butter to coat an 8-inch square baking dish.

To make the cake, in a medium bowl combine the flour, baking powder, sugar, salt and cinnamon.

In a separate bowl, beat the egg, then mix in the milk and melted butter. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients, add the pears, and mix well. Spread the batter into the prepared baking dish.

To make the streusel, in a medium bowl mix together the sugar, flour, butter and cinnamon by pinching them together with your fingers until well combined. Sprinkle the mixture over the top of the batter.

Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, or until it is golden and dry on top. Cool in the pan, then cut into squares. Keeps for up to 4 days, covered, at room temperature.

Yield: 8 servings

Nutrition information per serving (values are rounded to the nearest whole number): 269 calories; 104 calories from fat; 12 grams fat (7 grams saturated; 0 grams trans fats); 57 milligrams cholesterol; 41 grams carbohydrate; 4 grams protein; 2 grams fiber; 316 milligrams sodium.