Friday, December 4, 2009

Budapest Coffee Cake - Foodie Friday




From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...Following a critique that appeared here several weeks ago, I was asked to share the recipe for my favorite non-yeast coffee cake. Three recipes came to mind and anyone of them would be a worthy candidate for the designation "best". Today's contender comes from Maida Heatter's "Book of Great Desserts". Food writer's, especially those with public personas, tend to be swallowed by the ebb and flow of tides that carry fans to fads on other shores. Each generation produces its own crop of star chefs and food writers who capture the imagination of the public. That's as it should be. However, we who love the kitchen and the creation of food, have a tendency to dismiss as passe anything not currently on the New York Times best seller list. That's a big mistake. It is possible to move forward and still carry the best of the past with us. This is an outstanding coffee cake. It was the most popular recipe in the "Book of Great Desserts", but I've found only two other places where the recipe is actually used and reviewed. What a shame. This coffee cake is not hard to make and it uses ingredients that are readily available. I hope you'll try it. It would make a wonderful addition to any holiday breakfast or brunch table. The glaze, by the way, isn't really necessary and can be eliminated if you'd prefer a less sweet cake. Here's the recipe for a personal favorite of mine.

Budapest Coffee Cake
...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite, courtesy of Maida Heatter

Ingredients:
Filling
3/4 cup dark brown sugar
1 tablespoon cinnamon
1 tablespoon cocoa
3 tablespoons currants or finely chopped raisins
1 cup toasted walnuts
Batter
3 cups sifted all-purpose flour
1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1-1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup butter, room temperature
2 teaspoons vanilla
1-1/2 cups granulated sugar
3 large eggs, room temperature
2 cups sour cream, room temperature
Glaze
2 cups confectioners' sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2-3 tablespoons hot milk

Directions:
1) Adjust an oven rack to lower third of oven. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Butter a 10-inch Bundt pan. Set aside.
2) To make the filling: Combine brown sugar, cinnamon and cocoa in a small bowl. Mix throughly. Stir in nuts and currants or raisins. Set aside.
3) To make batter: Sift flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt into a large bowl. Cream butter in bowl of an electric stand mixer, using paddle attachment. Add vanilla and sugar and beat on medium speed for a minute or two. Add eggs, one at a time, beating each until just incorporated. Scrape sides of bowl, as necessary, to keep mixture smooth. Beat at high speed until mixture is light and creamy, about 1 minute. Turn mixer to low speed. Add dry ingredients in three additions and sour cream in two additions, beating only until smooth after each addition.
4) Spread a thin layer of batter in bottom of prepared pan. This will be easier to do if you use a small spoon to drop batter into pan and then smooth it together. Top with 1/3 of nut mixture. Repeat until you have 4 layers of batter and three layers of nut filling. The top layer will be batter. Bake 50 to 60 minutes, or until cake tester inserted in center of cake comes out clean. Remove from oven and cool for 5 minutes.
5) To make glaze: Combine powdered sugar, vanilla and milk in a small bowl. Mix well. Mixture should have consistency of a thick cream sauce.
6) Spread wax paper underneath a cooling rack. Invert cake on cooling rack. Remove pan. Pour glaze over cake, letting it run down sides, while still hot. Whan glaze ir set, transfer cake to a serving plate. Cake may be served warm or at room temperature. Yield: 12 Servings.

This recipe is being linked to:
Designs By Gollum - Foodie Friday

41 comments :

katherine said...

so yummy here...one perfect bite is not enough huh..i wish i know how to bake..lol.

Anyway thanks for visiting my blog and thanks for your nice comment Mary.

Have a great day.

KathyB. said...

This coffee cake looks to be one that is not only easy enough to make, but will remain moist and yummy.Think I will make it soon. Coffee cake is the very first thing I ever made all by myself at the age of 7 years old. The recipe is from the old Betty Crocker cookbook and undervalued now-a-days. I still make it every so often and am reminded that it is a very good recipe and everyone I serve it to usually wants seconds. So you are right in your opening sentences that we tend to dismiss some recipes as passe.

Katy ~ said...

Mary, I especially liked this post and the thoughts you shared about recipes seemingly being "passe." You have eloquently expressed my thoughts and feelings on keeping the good recipes alive.

I am going to copy and save this treasure and add it to my personal stash of favorite favorites because of your beautifully written post.

Federica Simoni said...

wow che delizia!

Deb in Hawaii said...

It looks like a wonderful brunch cake--nice flavors.

Kat said...

This sounds wonderful. I think this may make a delicious addition to our Christmas brunch! Thanks for sharing Mary. Kathy

Debbie said...

Mary, that cakes look wonderful. I'm sitting here with a cup of coffee and wish I had some! I love a good coffee cake and if you say this is good, I'm giving it a try!

❀~Myrna~❀ said...

The pics are wonderful .This looks very delicious and because you recommend it so highly this is one I am for sure going to include in my Christmas baking .
Blessings,
~Myrna

Martha said...

As with all of your recipes looks yummy -- I find I make a coffee cake of Ina's most often when I need one -- the recipes all seem to make a bundt or a tube and so I don't make them often. I will try this next time I have company or need to take a sweet treat for coffee.

Beverly said...

I'm going to close my eyes and pretend as if I am having a slice with my coffee.

Coralie Cederna Johnson said...

Mary!!! This is one of my favorites that you have shared (although choosing a favorite would be impossible)! It would taste so wonderfully with my coffee right now and YES I must have the glaze too! Your posts are always so fantastic! Thanks for sharing this and have a great Foodie Friday! Coralie

Cathy said...

What a beautiful coffee cake, Mary, with the ribbons of nuts and spices running through it. I couldn't resist a little frosting glaze. Wish I had a slice with my morning coffee.

Inspired by eRecipeCards said...

Mary, Mary, Mary...

Would you please stop posting such wonderful recipes? My file of things I want to cook is growing daily, and more often than not, your blog features stuff I want to try...

Now this one, actually, I think I want to give the cake you directed us to that you did back in October a try. Not sure why it didn't strike me as something interesting back then, but I am very interested now...Of course with a twist.

One thing you said in your comments really struck me... Why do some bloggers reprint recipes without trying them? I am ignorant (the classic definition) of most REAL cooking techniques. I assume when I write about a dish I made, that I am writing for someone like me. To direct someone like me to a recipe that is not tried by the author seems... many words come to mind, but lets just settle on wrong.

As always, love your posts, great recipe and things to ponder.

Erica (Irene) said...

Mary.......this cake looks like a keeper. I love coffeecakes. It reminds me when my Mom [rip] use to make one every saturday morning. The smell and aromas I remember when it was baking. Thanks for the recipe.

have a great day!

Claudia said...

I cannot believe I have never made coffee cake. Would like many perfect bites of this. Delicious, scrumptious mmmm. Yearning as I drink my morning coffee.. without coffee cake.

George Gaston said...

Mary, this looks like a great coffee cake. Just the right balance of cake & cinnamon-nut swirl. You are a Master Baker! I love reading your Foodie Friday Recipes...

Katherine Roberts Aucoin said...

Old school is in and this is definitely going in my mouth. Your coffee cake will be perfect for this weekend. no way this is passe'!

Shellbelle said...

I so agree with you Mary, I love trying all the latest recipes, but I could never give up those old standards that I've come to love. Those are the ones you pass on to your children and grandchildren. They're like a basic black dress, you know you can always pull them out of the back of the closet (cupboard) in an emergency.

NKP said...

It does look like a wonderful brunch cake. Perfect with black coffee and fresh fruit.

theUngourmet said...

This looks wonderful mary. What do think about adding in dried cherries or cranberries in place of the raisins or currants?

Mary Bergfeld said...

Kim, that would be fine. I honestly have trouble differentiating the taste of raisins and dried cranberries. Cherries or really finely chopped apricots would also be great.

The Blonde Duck said...

Yum! You make the best treats!

Maria Berg said...

That cake would be nice to the move we will see tonight "Julia and Julie".

And please help your self to plate nr 3 with pasta, beans , letters and ham with sourcream.

Lot of love to you, MB

Penny said...

Mary this will be perfect for my New Years Brunch with friends. Thank you for yet another great recipe.

Poppedijne said...

I thought this would be a traditional Kughelhaup cake but when I read the ingrediants I realised that this was quit different.It sound yummie. I love a good moist cake and so I also often use sour cream in my baking. This is something I learned to do by buying American cookbooks.
Thanks for stopping by.

Kari said...

Your coffee cake looks absolutely delicious. I will have to put you on my blog list! Thank you for stopping by my site and leaving that nice comment on my Sweet Potato Muffins:) Don't be too scared off by the coconut oil. I know the saturated fat in it makes people wary, but as long as it's unrefined, it has some great health benefits. Thanks again and have a great weekend!

Joyce said...

I have made similar cakes before but non had the addition of a tablespoon of the coco. I bet that adds a little zing to the taste. I often bake coffee cakes because they stay fresh for a long period of time and travel well. Thanks for sharing this recipe and I have copied it for a later date. I am having a better day in the kitchen today thankfully and I appreciate your kind words:)
Joyce

lĂºdanyĂ³ said...

I'm living in Budapest (I'm hungarian) and I've never heard about this cake :) Do you know why it is called "Budapest" ?
I will try to bake it, it sounds wonderful :)

La Cuisine d'Helene said...

What a great coffee cake, would be so good with my morning coffee.

Jhonny walker said...

Hi mary,
I am new to your blog. This is one truly fantastic bite! Also I love your title picture :)

Jane F @ Atticmag said...

Mary, you just keep publishing those recipes which have been around for a while -- I will too! Let's start a new trend because I'm truly not so interested in too little dripped sauce and too much foam.

Any recipe of Maida Heatter's is a gem. I hope she's still with us.

Arlene Delloro said...

Maida Heatter's cookbook was among the first cookbooks I ever bought. It still holds pride of place on my shelves and I can personally attest to how delicious this coffee cake is. As much as I adore Ina, MH will always remain one of the greats.

Mrs. L said...

Bundt cakes are so easy to make. I'll have to dig out my copy of Maida's cookbook and give this a try!

Mary Bergfeld said...

ludanyo, Maida Heatter gave no reason for the name of this cake. I'm assuming it was given the name because of some type of association with the renown coffee houses of Budapest. I have just written her publisher to see if we can get a better answer for you. I'm curious as well.

Mary Bergfeld said...

Jhonny Walker, I'm so glad you found us. I hope you'll join us often.

Alea Milham said...

This will be on my buffet on Christmas morning!

Pam said...

The slices are beautiful! I would love to have this for breakfast tomorrow.

jeanne said...

Hello Mary, please forgive me for not visiting much this week. I have been swamped. I do lead a very busy life and this week was crazy. Thank you for your faithful visits. They mean a lot to me. I love your blog.

Today is no exception. I love the cake with the layers of filling. This one is rich and sweet Just the way I like it. My MIL used to bake something like this.

My sisters and a friend are having a cookie bake this Monday here in my home. Six of us each baking two kinds of cookies, then we share. so much fun. You know I will post it. Smile.

It is so late I will say goodnight, Jeanne

Moore Minutes said...

I also wanted to let you know that I will be making this on Sunday! Thank you!!

Kathleen said...

Looks delicious, Mary..I haven't made it in a long time..maybe for the holidays!

My Little Space said...

Gosh, this looks so scrumptious! *I'm drooling* Love the flavourful filling. Saving it up for later use. Thanks!

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