What does butter do in a cake recipe?

The job of butter in baking (besides being delicious) is to give richness, tenderness and structure to cookies, cakes, pies and pastries. We alter the way butter works in a recipe by changing its temperature and choosing when to combine it with the other ingredients.

Is coffee cake American?

American Coffee cake evolved from other sweet dishes from Vienna . In the 17th century, Northern/Central Europeans are thought to have come up with the idea of eating sweet cakes while drinking coffee.

Is it better to use oil or butter in cakes?

There are no surprises here: butter tastes better than oil in baking recipes . However, in recipes with other bold flavors – such as chocolate, coffee, or citrus – butter can sometimes compete with the other flavors and this is normally when a recipe calls for oil instead.

Why use butter instead of oil?

The milk solids in butter create a flavor that's hard to beat . It brings a little extra deliciousness to almost any recipe. If you don't eat dairy, or you're just looking for a different flavor, you can also substitute oil for butter in most recipes, but it's important to keep flavor in mind.

What makes coffee cake different from regular cake?

The difference between coffee cake and regular cake is the topping. Coffee cake and regular cake are made with the same ingredients like flour, sugar, eggs, and butter and a leavening agent like baking powder. The difference is that instead of frosting on top, coffee cakes have crumble or streusel.

Does coffee cake use real coffee?

Curiously, coffee cake contains zero coffee itself . I think (and I am totally speculating here) that it's meant to be served with coffee, sort of in the tradition of tea. My sleuthing on the internet points to origins in German yeasted cakes, but it's not entirely clear.

What makes a cake a coffee cake?

Sometimes cake, sometimes bread, maybe with coffee but always sweet, the only real defining trait of a coffee cake is that it is meant to be served alongside a cup of coffee.

Why do you need butter in a cake?

Butter can give a great flavour to cakes and coats the proteins and starches during the mixing step and results in a more delicate crumb . It also impacts richness and flavour.

What happens when you don't put butter in cake?

If there's simply too much flour and not enough butter, a cake will taste dry . On the other hand, if there's too much milk and not enough flour, a cake will taste too wet. Finding the right balance between wet and dry ingredients is key.

What happens if you put less butter in a cake?

Butter is fat, which not only adds moisture, but reduces structure. If you take out too much fat, you'll end up with something denser and more breadlike . If you're going to reduce sugar, be careful, because that can also make food drier (white sugar is liquid at baking temps).

What does adding butter to cake mix do?

Which is why I always substitute an equal amount of melted butter for vegetable oil, which is typically called for on the cake mix box. Melted butter serves the same purpose as oil, while also adding richness and depth to the cake .

cranberry yogurt coffeecake recipe – use real butter (2024)

Recipe: cranberry yogurt coffeecake

Our local sunset is now some time around 4:15 pm, because we have that giant wall of the Continental Divide as our western horizon. It sneaks up on you rather quickly and sometimes the best you can do is to admire it from the road or while you’re working or maybe even miss it altogether. But when it’s good it is awesome and I love watching the progression from yellow to orange to pink.

lighting up a wave cloud

turning orange

and pink

I’ve been spending time with my folks this week. They like to feed us when they are in Boulder. I think that’s a parent thing. I feel a little like a parent with my parents these days… bringing them groceries, making sure they have what they need, having them up to stay with us, planning outings that will be of interest, setting up play dates, and telling Dad when to use his inside voice.

dinner at mom and dad’s place

a visit to the denver art museum

seeing the fantastic “becoming van gogh” exhibit

Coffeecake reads as “easy” cake to me and I really ought to be expanding my coffeecake repertoire. It’s a lot less weird to show up at a neighbor’s door with coffeecake on offer than some fancy layer cake. I mean, really. The other twist on this that I hadn’t thought of was yogurt instead of sour cream. I like sour cream in cakes, because they come out super moist. Yogurt is a nice alternative to sour cream and my cake was just as moist (I used Noosa, which I love). Oh, and I increased the almond extract to 1/2 teaspoon from 1/4 teaspoon, because almond and cranberry are terrific together.

beat the eggs into the butter and sugar

add the yogurt and extracts and leavenings

blend in the flour

The recipe calls for baking in a 9×13-inch pan, but I wanted to bake it in this cute flower-shaped pan (with removable bottom) that is more or less a 9-inch round. I worried there would be too much batter for my pan, but in the end, it worked out perfectly. I rather like taller coffee cakes anyway. So in case you are wondering, you can totally make this in a 9-inch round as long as it isn’t too shallow (less than 2-inches tall is too shallow). And instead of layering the batter, cranberry sauce, and streusel, I mixed the batter and cranberry sauce together just a touch because I think it looks prettier in cross-section.

spread some batter into the pan

layer the cranberry sauce

add remaining batter and swirl it about

top with streusel

If you like to serve cakes whole and out of their pans like I do, then let this baby cool completely (30 minutes or more) before releasing it from the pan. Take note that any cranberry sauce that touches the side of the pan will likely adhere remarkably well, so a little loosening with a knife is advised first. The edges are golden and the cranberry sauce caramelizes beautifully where it contacts the pan. The inside of the cake is moist, buttery, and studded with tart fruit. A lovely cake to share and enjoy with others. So if you have leftover cranberry sauce… or even if you don’t – this coffeecake is worth baking.

out of the pan (the streusel makes a crumbly mess)

yes to autumn!

Cranberry Yogurt Coffeecake
[print recipe]
from the King Arthur Flour site

streusel
5 tbsps (2 1/2 oz.) butter, room temperature
1/2 cup (3 3/4 oz. or 110 g) brown sugar
big pinch of salt
2 tsps ground cinnamon
2 tsps vanilla extract
1 cup + 2 tbsps (4.5 oz. or 130 g) flour, all-purpose or white whole wheat

filling
1 cup of whole cranberry sauce

batter
1/2 cup (4 oz.) butter, softened
1 cup + 2 tbsps (8 1/2 oz. or 240 g) brown sugar
2 eggs
1 cup (9 1/4 oz. or 260 g) yogurt, plain or flavored
1/2 tsp almond extract (original calls for 1/4, but I increased it)
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp baking soda (1/2 tsp at 8500 ft.)
1 tsp baking powder (1/2 tsp at 8500 ft.)
1/2 tsp salt
2 cups (8 1/2 oz. or 240 g) flour, all-purpose or white whole wheat

Make the streusel: Cream the butter, brown sugar, salt, cinnamon, and vanilla extract together in a bowl. Mix in the flour until coarse crumbs are formed. Set aside.

Make the batter: Cream the butter and brown sugar together. Beat in the eggs, scraping the sides of the bowl down. Beat in the yogurt, almond extract, vanilla extract, baking soda, baking powder, and salt until smooth. Beat the flour in until just combined.

Assemble the cake: Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease a 9-inch round pan (or use a 9×13 like the original recipe calls for, but I like my coffee cakes to be tall), and pour 80% of the batter into the pan. Spread the cranberry filling over the batter. Top with the remaining 20% of the batter. Swirl it around and over the filling. Sprinkle the streusel crumbs over the batter. Bake for 40 minutes (it took me 65 minutes, probably because mine was thicker) or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean. Remove from oven and cool for 30 minutes before serving (it will be crumbly if it is hot). Serves 12-16.

November 28th, 2012: 12:07 pm
filed under baking, cake, dairy, dessert, eggs, fruit, recipes, sweet

cranberry yogurt coffeecake recipe – use real butter (2024)

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