Golden Crunch Coffeecake

Here is another recipe from the book I bought over the weekend called "America's Best Recipes". This Golden Crunch Coffeecake was a blue ribbon winner from the Virginia State Fair and I can certainly see why it won. It's so good!
It's moist and the "crunch" comes from the brown sugar, cinnamon and nut topping that's put in the middle and again on top.
The only addition I made was to add some orange zest to give it another layer of flavor. I like to use citrus zest in coffeecakes like this. You almost always expect the flavor of the cinnamon and brown sugar but that unexpected orange zest comes through to add another dimension.


As usual, I halved the recipe, baking it in an 8" x 8" cake pan. You could replace the walnuts with pecans if you like them better and it would be great, too!.

Golden Crunch Coffeecake
(Makes 16 servings, more or less, depending on the size you want them.)

3 cups AP flour

3 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened

1 1/2 cups sugar

1 tsp. orange zest

4 eggs

1 tsp. vanilla

1 cup whole milk

1 cup light brown sugar, firmly packed

2 tbsp. butter, softened

2 tbsp. flour

1 tsp. cinnamon

1 cup chopped walnuts

Preheat oven to 350. Grease a 13" x 9" x 2" pan.

1. Sift together flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside.

2. Cream the butter ,sugar and orange zest til light and fluffy, about 2 minutes.

3. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.

4. Beat in vanilla.

5. Add dry ingredients alternately with the milk, beating well after each addition.

6. Spread half the batter into the prepared pan.

7. In a small bowl, combine the light brown sugar, 2 tbsp. of butter, 2 tbsp. flour, cinnamon and walnuts. Mix well ( I used my fingers to get it all combined.)

8. Sprinkle half the mixture over the batter. Spread with remaining batter and sprinkle remaining sugar/cinnamon mixture over the top.

9. Bake 45 minutes, or til golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

10. Cool the cake in the pan for at least one hour. It cuts better when it's completely cooled.