Sandra Bullock’s sister, Gesine, is back with another baking book — a guide to making basic baked goods with instructions for making vegan, gluten-free and healthier variations. Here’s the original recipe for a coffee cake that actually contains coffee.
Killer Coffee Cake
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 Tbsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
1 cup light brown sugar, packed
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
4 large eggs
1/4 cup canola oil
1 Tbsp. vanilla bean paste
1/2 cup crème fraîche
1/2 cup whole milk
1/2 cup brewed coffee
1 cup heavy cream, whipped to stiff peaks and refrigerated
For the filling:
1 cup light brown sugar, packed
1 cup roughly chopped pecans, lightly toasted
1 Tbsp. ground cinnamon
For the crumble:
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup light brown sugar, packed
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp. salt
1 cup unsalted butter, melted
Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Coat a 9-by-13-inch pan with baking spray. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder and salt.
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with either the whisk or paddle attachment, beat together sugars and butter until light and fluffy, 4 to 5 minutes. Scrape down bowl and mix for a few seconds more. Add eggs one at a time, beating for about 1 minute between each and scraping down the sides of the bowl. Mix in oil and vanilla. Add crème fraîche and beat until just incorporated.
In a small bowl, stir together milk and coffee. With mixer running on medium-low speed, starting with the flour, alternate adding the flour mixture and the milk mixture in thirds to the mixer bowl. Scrape down sides of the bowl. Using a large rubber spatula, fold the whipped cream into the batter.
To make the filling, pulse all the ingredients together in a food processor until a crumbly paste forms. To make the crumble, put flour, sugars, cinnamon and salt in a large bowl and mix together with your hands. Pour in melted butter and stir with a wooden spoon until the butter is fully incorporated and the mixture starts to form clumps.
Spread 3/4 of the cake batter evenly in the bottom of the prepared pan. Sprinkle filling over the batter in an even layer, making sure to break apart any large clumps. Spread remaining cake batter on top of the filling in an even layer. Using a knife, make swirling motions in the batter to incorporate some of the filling. Sprinkle the crumble over the top layer of batter.
Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, 1 hour to 1 hour 20 minutes. About 30 minutes into the baking time, cover the top with aluminum foil to keep the crumble from burning. Makes one 9-inch-by-13-inch cake.
— From "Let Them Eat Cake: Classic, Decadent Desserts with Vegan, Gluten-Free & Healthy Variations" by Gesine Bullock-Prado (Stewart, Tabori and Chang, $35)
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