King Arthur Flour's flagship Bakery and Baking Education Center opened in 2000, and this venerable institution was heralded as the nation’s top Employee-Owned Company of the Year in 2016.
About this recipe
This moist, tender coffee cake is perfect for a crowd—it bakes in a 9- by 13-inch pan and makes 24 servings (or somewhat fewer, if your crowd is packed with coffee cake lovers). Make it entirely with all-purpose flour, if you choose; but we’re just as happy with a cake that’s made with white whole-wheat flour. You'll get the fiber and nutrition of whole grains, a slightly deeper color, and we swear you'll never taste the difference.
Instructions
Yields 2 dozen 2-inch squares
Streusel
5 tablespoons butter
½ cup brown sugar, firmly packed
Big pinch of salt
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup + 2 tablespoons King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour or King Arthur White Whole-Wheat Flour
Filling
1 cup whole-berry cranberry sauce, preferably homemade
Batter
½ cup (8 tablespoons) butter
1 cup + 2 tablespoons brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 cup yogurt, plain or flavored (or substitute ¾ cup Greek-style yogurt + ¼ cup milk or water, if desired)
¼ teaspoon almond extract
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
2 cups King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour or King Arthur White Whole-Wheat Flour
Preheat the oven to 350°. Lightly grease a 9- by 13-inch pan.
To make the streusel: In a large bowl, cream together the butter, sugar, salt, cinnamon and vanilla. Add the flour, beating until even crumbs form. Scoop the mixture into a smaller bowl, and set it aside.
To make the batter: In the same bowl in which you've just made the streusel (you can use a different bowl if you want, but this saves on washing dishes), beat together the butter and brown sugar until smooth.
Beat in the eggs, scraping the bowl and again beating until smooth. Beat in the yogurt, extracts, baking powder, baking soda, salt and flour. The mixture will be fairly stiff.
Scoop the batter into the prepared pan. Dollop the cranberry sauce on top, breaking it up with a fork first, if necessary. Sprinkle the streusel over all.
Bake the coffee cake for 40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Remove cake from the oven and cool for 30 minutes before serving (or serve it hot from the oven, if you don't mind it crumbling a bit).
Store the coffee cake, well wrapped, at room temperature for several days. Freeze for longer storage.
