Cinnamon Swirl Coffee Cake Loaf

Autumn Descends on the Mississippi River (Minneapolis, Minnesota) 

"Intruder "

October gave a party.
Autumn wore her finest gown
a kaleidoscope of colors
golden, crimson, yellow hues.

Leaves swirled, fluttered, whirled
dancing to woodland tunes.
Trees swayed, kept time to music
under a moonlit sky.

A blustery wind howled
the uninvited guest blew through
brought party to a screeching halt
the revelers swept away.
by Sue Ready

Pantry Special-Cinnamon Swirl Loaf Cake

Create a fresh bakery item right from your own kitchen. A pantry special with all ingredients readily available. Perfect for your next coffee or tea break. Recipe from jocooks.com

• Coffee Cake is a traditional pound cake layered with cinnamon sugar and it’s called coffee because it’s the perfect complement to a cup of coffee.
•  Coffee cakes rarely contain coffee, they are usually simple and one-flavored cakes with a simple icing or streusel topping.
• Coffee cakes are thought to have originated in Germany and they were more like sweet breads rather than cakes.

Ingredients:

• ½ cup brown sugar, packed
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon or 1 tablespoon Saigon cinnamon 
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• ¼ cup butter. softened
• ¾ cup sugar granulated
• 2 large eggs room temperature
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 

Directions:

• Prep the ingredients and preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Spray a loaf pan with cooking spray or grease it with butter. In a small bowl whisk the brown sugar with the cinnamon together until combined. Set aside.
• Make the batter: Combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt together in a bowl. Set aside. 
• In another bowl cream the butter with the granulated sugar until light in color and well combined. Add the eggs in one at a time and mix until light and fluffy. Add the buttermilk, vanilla extract and flour mixture to the egg mixture and mix until well incorporated and smooth. Note: the batter is a bit thicker than a regular cake batter.
• Assemble the coffee cake: Pour 1/3 of the batter in the prepared bread pan and sprinkle with ⅓ of the brown sugar mixture, repeat with remaining batter and sprinkle remaining brown sugar mixture over the top. You should end up with 3 layers of batter and 3 layers of cinnamon sugar.
• Bake and cool: Transfer the loaf pan to the oven and bake for 45 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean inserted in the center of the loaf. Cool in the loaf pan for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to finish cooling.

Cooking Tips:

• Once your cake is cut in slices, make sure to cover it airtight immediately because it can dry out quickly. I like to use a cake plate covered with a dome, or simply wrap it with plastic wrap.
• Use eggs that are at room temperature because they mix better with the batter and rise more easily.
• Use fresh baking powder in order to ensure your cake rises nicely. To test if baking powder is still good, spoon 1/2 teaspoon in a bowl and pour 1/4 cup of boiling water over it. Right away it should bubble up violently. If it does, it’s still good. If it doesn’t, discard it and open a new tin.
• This coffee cake will last up to 3 days at room temperature, covered airtight or with plastic wrap. Stored in the fridge, it will last up to 1 week.