I’ve always thought of coffee cake as sort of sophisticated. My mom only made it for grown-up company, serving it on tiny dessert plates next to a cup of coffee or tea. I had to wait for a slice of the leftovers, and the anticipation made it all the more delicious. I loved the contrasting textures of cake and crumble. It was like some perfect hybrid of breakfast pastry and dessert.
Coffee cake is one of those recipes that people love to adapt. I’ve seen variations including chocolate, apples, pumpkin, and blueberries. These are good but, to me, nothing tops the classic: moist cake topped with a mound of cinnamon sugar crumble and drizzled with icing. My version replaces traditional sour cream with yogurt, has a heartier pecan oat crumble, and keeps the classic vanilla glaze. I’ve included measurements for both gluten free and all-purpose flour, either way, it’s delicious!
Coffee cake
Preparation Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 2 hrs, 40 min
Servings: 8
IngredientsCake2 cups (125 g) all-purpose flour OR 2 cups (140g) gluten free flour blend (I like Bob’s Red Mill 1 to 1)
1 cup (225 g) sugar
1 teaspoon (.5 g) salt
2 teaspoon (8 g) baking powder
1/2 teaspoon (4 g) baking soda
1/3 cup (75 g) butter, melted
1 cup (240 ml) plain yogurt (full fat is best)
1 teaspoon (5 ml) vanilla extract
Crumble1 cup (90 g) old fashioned oats (use gluten-free if desired)
1/2 cup (65 g) pecans, chopped
1/2 cup (110 g) brown sugar
1/4 cup (50 g) granulated sugar
1 teaspoon (1 g) cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon (1 g) salt
1/2 cup (115g or 1 stick) unsalted butter, cut into chunks
Glaze1 cup (160 g) powdered sugar
2 Tablespoon (30 ml) milk
1 teaspoon (5 ml) vanilla extract
Directions 1. Line a 4-5 quart slow cooker with foil, pressing firmly into corners.
2. Sift dry ingredients (flour through baking soda) into a large bowl and whisk. Add butter, yogurt, and vanilla and mix until completely combined (if using gluten free flour, stir for 2 full minutes). Pour into the slow cooker.
3. Combine all crumble ingredients in a bowl and use fingers to rub together. Sprinkle over cake.
4. Place a paper towel over the top of crockpot and cover with lid. Cook on high for 1 1/2 to 2 hours, checking every 30 minutes. After an hour, carefully lift out insert, rotate 180° and set back. this will prevent dark spots if your cooker heats unevenly.
5. While cake is cooking, mix glaze ingredients. When a knife inserted in center of the cake comes out clean, remove cake carefully, using the foil liner. Cool for 10 minutes, then drizzle with glaze and serve.
Pro tip: If you’d like to enhance the tang of yogurt in this recipe try a yogurt glaze; replace the milk with 1/4 c. full fat plain or vanilla yogurt.
