Tea time with coffee cake!

I have started baking again when FP is away on the road. It gives me some sort of peace of mind and some how keeps me sane in this living situation. I wasn't sure what to make, but I knew it had to be something I hadn't tasted in quite a while. So I set off by browsing through a couple cook books that I brought here with me. When I turned the page to the recipe for a delicious struesel coffee cake, I knew I had hit the jackpot! However, I did not follow that recipe. I have found that it is better to go online, find a recipe for the real and true thing (full of gluten!), and then adapt it to be gluten free. So I again ventured to one of my favorite websites, allrecipes.com, and conducted some serious coffee cake searches. Now the best thing about this website is that you can read reviews from all those cooks out there that have tried the recipe. That is the major problem with a cookbook. The recipe may look delicious, but will it turn out that way??? On allrecipes you can read the reviews, look at the modifications people have made, and adapt your own recipe! I think I really do swear by that website now! I even have FP using it all the time as well!!!

Back to my coffee cake.....I found two delicious recipes for a coffee cake that I adapted to make sans gluten and to fit into a bread pan, as I am adamant in using that 13 euro pan whenever possible!!! I have become so confident in my bread endeavors, that I thought I was completely capable of making a coffee cake in a bread pan. Well let me just say next time I either need a bigger pan or less of the batter! I whipped up the cake in no time, dribbled it into the pan, and voila, that I was a genius! However, about 10 min. into the baking process the batter started oozing down the side of the pan. This baby rose more than I thought was possible. I am convinced it is because of the altitude. At one point I got so tired of wiping the dribbly mess off of the pan I contemplated throwing the whole thing out and cutting my loses. But I gutted it out and pulled the cake out when I thought it was done. But in honesty, I had no idea if it was done or just a disaster! But low and behold the cake turned out wonderfully! Now I must say that it looked like a mess in that bread pan and had collapsed in quite a bit, I am still convinced it was because of the altitude, but the taste was spot on. I loved it, FP loved it, and well the roomies didn't try it. One doesn't like dessert and the other, I am not sure what his thoughts were. But it just meant more cake for me!!! I personally think this cake would be a great edition to any get together or for a little tea party. In fact it would be perfect for an afternoon chat with a good friend and a hot cup of tea or coffee.

Coffee Cake
-adapted from allrecipes

-1/3 cup butter
-2/3 cup white sugar
-1 egg
-2/3 cup sour cream
-3/4 tsp. vanilla extract
-1-1/3 cups gf all-purpose flour (I used arrowhead blend)
-3/4 tsp. gf baking powder
-1 tsp. xantham gum
-3/4 tsp. gf baking soda
-3 T brown sugar
-3/4 tsp. ground cinnamon
-1/4 tsp. nutmeg
-1/3 cup chopped walnuts

Topping

-2 T flour
-1-2 tsp butter

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour a loaf pan. In a medium bowl, mix the flour, xantham gum, baking powder and baking soda together. In a separate small bowl, combine 3 T brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and nuts.
In a large bowl, cream butter and 2/3 cups white sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs, sour cream, and vanilla extract. Add flour mixture and beat until well combined. Pour half of batter into loaf pan. Sprinkle half of the nut mixture on top of batter in pan. Add remaining batter, and sprinkle with topping. To make topping, cut butter into flour and add remaining nut/ sugar mixture. This creates a bit more of a struesel topping. Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 45 to 60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into cake comes out clean. You also may find the topping to start to brown, lightly cover with foil if this occurs.