Moist Coffee Cake Best Recipe Yet

Steps:

• To Make Starter: Mix 2 cups flour, 1/4 cup sugar, 2 cups warm water, 1/4 ounce yeast in a bowl, cover and let stand over night (cover should be loose). Refrigerate and stir daily. On fifth day feed Herman one cup flour, 1 cup milk and 1/2 cup sugar; stir and refrigerate. Stir daily until 10th day. On 10th day remove 1 cup starter and feed as on fifth day.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease four 8 inch pans or three 9 inch pans.
• Mix together 1 cup starter, white sugar, self rising flour, salt, 2 teaspoons cinnamon, oil, eggs, raisins, 1 cup chopped nuts, honey (optional). Stir until combined. Pour into prepared pans. Top with sugar-nut topping.
• Dot with 1/2 cup butter or margarine and bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 15 minutes. Remove cakes from oven and pour glaze over still-warm cakes.
• To Make Sugar-Nut Topping: Mix together 1 cup brown sugar, 1 teaspoon flour, 1 teaspoon cinnamon, 1/4 cup chopped nuts.
• To Make Glaze: Combine 1 cup sifted confectioners' sugar, 2 tablespoons melted margarine, 2 tablespoons milk. Use immediately to glaze cake.

Steps:

• Heat the oven to 180C/160C fan. Line and butter two 18cm sandwich tins. Add the sugar and butter to a bowl and whisk until very fluffy and pale.
• Whisk the eggs in a mug with a fork, then add them gradually to the mixture with 1 tbsp of flour each time. (Make sure you don't use all the flour.) When the eggs have been fully combined into the mix, add the rest of the flour and fold it in gently.
• Add the dissolved coffee to the mixture, still folding. Divide into the sandwich tins and cook for 25-30 min until risen and firm and a skewer inserted into the middle comes out clean. Leave to cool in the tin for 5 mins then turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely. Can be frozen at this stage.
• Meanwhile, make the icing by beating the icing sugar with the butter until light and fluffy, then add the dissolved coffee. Whisk, then cover and set aside until ready to ice the cake.
• Spread half the icing on the bottom of one sponge and spread the strawberry jam on the bottom of the other, if using. Sandwich together, then spread the remaining icing on top. Decorate with walnuts or cherries, if you like.

Steps:

• Adjust oven rack to center position and preheat oven to 350. Grease two 8-inch round cake pans; dust pans with flour, knocking out excess. Set aside.
• Make the Crumb: In a medium-sized mixing bowl, wisk together the flour, sugar, salt and cinnamon.
• Melt the butter in the microwave or in a small saucepan over low heat. Remove from heat and stir in the vanilla and almond extracts. Gradually drizzle the melted butter mixture into the flour mixture while continuously and gently tossing with a fork. Continue to toss until all the butter is absorbed and you have a uniformly moistened crumb mixture. If texture of crumb is too small, gently squeeze small clumps together to make large crumbs ranging in size from that of a pea to that of a grape, about 1/4- to 1/2-inch in size. (Adding the butter too fast, too much butter, and/or over-mixing can result in the crumb mixture coming together as a solid dough. If that happens, simply use your fingers to break-up the solid crumb mixture into big crumbs, about 1/4- to 1/2-inch in size. Crumbs don't have to be uniform, just try to get most about this size.) Set aside while you make the cake batter.
• Make the Batter: In a large bowl, cream the butter and sugar together with an electric mixer on high speed until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating after each addition. Beat in the vanilla and sour cream, scraping down the sides of the bowl with a spatula as needed. In a medium-sized bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt and baking powder. Add flour mixture to the sour cream mixture and beat on low or stir with a large spoon until evenly combined.
• Turn the batter into the prepared pan(s) and spread evenly. Sprinkle the crumb mixture over the batter with your fingers, covering the batter evenly and completely. Bake 8-inch rounds for 20-25 minutes. Cake is done when a wooden pick or cake tester inserted near the center comes out clean, and the sides of the cake are golden and slightly pulling away from the edge of the pan. Remove from the oven and let the cake cool in its pan(s) set on a wire rack. Carefully transfer the cake, crumb side up, onto a serving plate. Dust with confectioners' sugar, if desired.
• Makes 16 (2-inch) wedges.

Steps:

• Cream shortening and sugar.
• Add eggs and vanilla.
• Combine dry ingredients.
• Add dry ingredients to mixture with sour cream.
• Fold in apples.
• Spread into a 9x13 pan.
• Mix topping ingredients together and spread over the coffee cake.
• Bake at 350ºF. for 35 to 40 minutes.

Steps:

• Heat oven to 350°F.
• Stir flour, baking powder and baking soda until blended. Beat granulated sugar, butter and vanilla in large bowl with mixer until light and fluffy. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in flour mixture alternately with sour cream.
• Combine nuts, brown sugar and cinnamon; spoon half into greased and floured 12-cup fluted tube pan or 10-inch tube pan; top with half the cake batter. Repeat layers.
• Bake 45 to 50 min. or until toothpick inserted near center comes out clean. Cool cake in pan 10 min. Loosen cake from sides of pan with knife. Invert cake onto wire rack; gently remove pan. Cool cake completely.