bakery cook and tips: Coffee Cake Recipe

Let clear things up. Coffee and I... Ahem...

Coffee and I... well I don't know where I stand. Do I like or do I not like coffee?

You see, when I was ten we moved three provinces north of Manila. This was where we lived.

Living there was liked a dream. Sometimes, breakfast means going out (literally) at the back of the house and eat at a table under a mango tree. And sometimes, when I wake up early, I will make myself pale coffee or what I fondly call Coffee a la Aikko. Pale coffee is my version of coffee. Seeing that I was still young and coffee is really not yet allowed and so I would add way to much creamer so no one will really notice that I am drinking coffee. Ha! Probably the reason why I wasn't tall as I dreamt to be.

Anyway, now that I am just a little older (and now allowed to drink coffee). I no longer crave it as much as I used to. I can get by staying up late without drinking coffee. So I was thinking, maybe coffee enjoyed in another form (ahemm.. cake) will revive my love for coffee. Here's a recipe from my Ma's recipe book. Hope you like it guys! :)

Coffee Cake Recipe

What we need:

3/4 cup walnuts or pecan

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 cup packed brown sugar

1 cup canola oil

1 1/2 cups sugar

3 eggs

1 cup sour cream

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 cups all purpose flour

2 teaspoons coffee granules (we didn't have coffee granules so I used the powder form and it worked just fine but Ma said granules work best)

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

Here's how:

(1) Combine walnuts, cinnamon and brown sugar. Set aside.

(2) Sift or dry whisk together flour, coffee granules, baking power, baking soda and salt. Combine sour cream and the vanilla extract.

(3) Mix together canola oil and sugar.

(4) Add eggs one at a time.

(5) Add a third of the dry ingredients.

(6) Then one half of the wet ingredients (sour cream and vanilla extract). Continue until all is combined. Oh well, you know the drill :)

(7) Heavily grease 2 8 1/2" by 4 1/2" loaf pans (Note A: but any pan will do as long as just fill it up until its half full. Note B: Or you can also line the loaf pan with wax paper) divide the batter into two and sprinkle the walnut/cinnamon/brown sugar mixture on top.