Aroma of Cinnamon Cake, Take One

Aroma of Cinnamon Cake, Take One - made July 14, 2012, recipe adapted from Baking Style by Lisa Yockelson

If it seems like I bake the most random things sometimes, it's because I do.  Or because I have a certain ingredient I need to use up so I look for any and all recipes that use it.  That's where this falls.  I had a Costco-sized tub of sour cream to use so I went hunting for sour cream recipes.  It never fails - whenever I'm stocking up on baking ingredients, I always optimistically think the expiration date is far away on something perishable and I'll have lots of time to use it all up.  I also think of all these recipes that use up said ingredient but I wasn't able to make them before because I didn't have that ingredient on hand at the time.  And now that I do, I'm going to whip up all those recipes and try them out.  Yeah, that's a nice thought.  Now if only I could remember half those recipes when it comes time to actually using up the ingredient when I have it marching towards its expiration date.

Anyway, whenever I have an excess of sour cream I have to use in a hurry, coffeecake-type creations are usually a safe bet to need sour cream.  Lisa Yockelson has two different version in Baking Style and I went with the first one.  This one turned out really well.  The cake was moist and cakey, not too light but not too heavy.  I modified by adding the glaze but you can leave it off if you wish.  I do recommend using more of the sugar-cinnamon filling and topping as a filling rather than a topping, especially if you end up doing the glaze.  This makes for a really good breakfast or brunch cake.

Sugar Cinnamon Filling and Topping

1/3 cup granulated sugar

1/3 cup firmly packed light brown sugar

4 teaspoons ground cinnamon

Sour Cream Batter

1 2/3 cups unsifted bleached all-purpose flour

1/3 cup unsifted bleached cake flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

¼ teaspoon baking soda

¼ teaspoon salt

10 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened

1 cup granulated sugar

2 large eggs

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 cup sour cream

Glaze (optional)

1 cup confectioners’ sugar

¼ cup whole milk (more if needed)

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1.     Preheat oven to 350°F.  Line a 9-inch square pan with foil and spray lightly with nonstick cooking spray.

2.     For the filling: combine granulated sugar, brown sugar and cinnamon in a bowl.  Set aside.

3.     For the batter, sift flours, baking powder, baking soda and salt onto a sheet of waxed paper.

4.     Cream the butter in the large bowl of a freestanding electric mixer on moderate speed for 1 minute.  Add the granulated sugar in 2 additions, beating for 1 minute after each portion is added.  Beat in the eggs.  Blend in the vanilla extract.  On low speed, beat in half of the sifted ingredients, the sour cream, and the remaining sifted ingredients.

5.     Spoon a little more than half of the batter into the prepared baking pan.  Sprinkle over half of the cinnamon-sugar filling.  Spoon the remaining batter on top in dollops.  If you wish, swirl the batter, using the tip of a rounded table knife or small offset palette knife.  Smooth the top with a palette knife or rubber spatula.  Sprinkle the remaining sugar-cinnamon filling over the top.

6.     Bake the cake for 45 minutes, or until set and a toothpick withdraws clean when tested about 2 inches from the center. 

7.     Combine the glaze ingredients, beating until smooth.  Add just enough milk to form a runny consistency.  Drizzle over warm (not hot) cake and let cool until set.

Linked to Crazy Sweet Tuesday, Trick or Treat Tuesday