Maple glazed coffee cake for my first baking experience in the new home!

I’m done! With many things!

To begin with, I’m done with the moving. Well, not that we have finished unpacking but I did open all the kitchen-labeled boxes (and those are the important ones, right?). Also, I’m done with the Project Food Blog Competition. Yep, I’m out. And I have to admit I have mixed feeling about it. On one side, I can’t deny I’m a bit bummed! Well, of course I thought I deserved to be proclaimed the next food bloggers’ star J

Jokes aside, the competition made me learn a lot of things and gave me a chance to “meet” a lot of super cool food bloggers that I did not know before. I also had to reflect more deeply about the existence of my blog and which direction I want to take in the future. On the other side, these weeks of competition were very stressful for me. As I have already mentioned, I am the less competitive person I know and the competition was too much to handle when put together with all the crazy stuff going on in my life. All in all, though, I have to say that it was a lot of fun and a super positive experience. Over the last few weeks I wrote down some “existential” notes about my blog that I will share with you in a future post.

Move and competition aside, I’m done in general. I’m tired, now wait, exhausted! I had a two weeks period without break. I was really looking forward the weekend to come, except that….yesterday I had to call in sick! Fever and general sense of sickness will now force me to spend the entire weekend in bed. Yes, I’m really done!

However, all my baking stuff was there, on the counter of my new kitchen (actually pretty old but in my new home!) and they were calling me! Waiting to be used. I could not say “I’m sorry baking pan and vanilla extract, today I’m too sick for you!”. Come on, how can you say that to them?! Plus, I really had to test my new (again, old  but…) oven. I decide to go for a recipe that I saw at Liv Life two weeks ago. It was so enticing that I had promised myself it was going to be one of the first things I would have baked after all the craziness of my life has ended. And so I did!

I should say, no regrets! Kim’s comment about the cake was “When my teenage son takes a piece of something and excitedly proclaims,   I know I have a hit.” My comment is: Wally was able to say only one world “Wow” and then his mouth was filled by the cake, which was over in 1 hour! Yes, one hour! Only one slice made it to our Saturday breakfast.

This cake is a winner! If you need a treat or an afternoon snack, if you need to cheer yourself up or if you have somebody coming over to see you, you really have to try this one! Actually, you don’t really need any excuse to try it.

Maple Glazed Coffee Cake

Ingredients

For the cake:

100 gr (3.55 oz or 1/2  cup) granulated sugar

55 gr (1.9 oz or 1/4 cup brown sugar

76 gr (1/3 cup) butter, softened

1 egg

5 ml (1 tsp) vanilla extract

130 gr (4.5 oz or 1 cup) all purpose flour 

65 gr (2.25 oz or 1/2 cup) spelt flour *I simply used 1 and ½ cup of a/p flour

5 gr (1 tsp) baking powder

3 gr (3/4 tsp) baking soda

1 gr (¼ tsp) salt

240 gr (8.6 oz or 1 cup) sour cream

For the filling:

55 gr (1.9 oz or 1/4 cup) brown sugar

5 gr (1 tsp) cinnamon

For the glaze*:

85 gr (3 oz or 1/4 cup) pure maple syrup

96 gr (3.38 oz or 3/4 cup) confectioners’ sugar

Preheat the oven to 350º.  Spray a 9x5” loaf pan with cooking spray or grease it with butter.

In a big bowl, beat together the softened butter and both types of sugar until light and fluffy.  Add the egg and mix well to combine. Finally, add the vanilla and sour cream, stirring just until incorporated.

In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, the baking powder, the baking soda, and the salt.  Add to the butter mixture and stir just until incorporated.

Whisk together the brown sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl, set aside.

Spread one half of the batter into the loaf pan and sprinkle with the cinnamon-sugar mixture.  Cover with the remaining batter.

Bake for 35 - 40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.  Remove the cake from oven and cool for 10 minutes on a wire rack.  Remove the cake from pan and cool completely on a wire rack.

When the cake is cool, whisk together the glaze ingredients until the glaze is smooth and "drizzleable".  (Add additional maple syrup in small amounts if the glaze is too thick).

* I actually used much less confectioners’ sugar and much more maple syrup ( I just love maple syrup)

Have a sweet day!

Source: Kim Kelly @ Liv Life