Old-fashioned Coffee Cake

[Anne]

Wino and Texas French,

Margaret Fox, former chef-owner of Cafe Beaujolais, is a personal friend. She gave me this coffee cake recipe a long time ago, shortly before her first cookbook (Cafe Beaujolais) was published. I use the recipe card she wrote it out on. I was soooo sleepy when I posted the recipe and totally forgot to credit Margaret. Thank you so much for pointing it out to me. Before I posted the recipe, I emailed Margaret for permission and received an email back. I'll copy the relevant part here:

Please feel free to post the coffeecake recipe and credit my new MORNING FOOD cookbook (2006, Ten Speed Press) which was just released. The book is for sale at all the bookstores, and I will also sell it on my website (www.MargaretFox.com) in case anyone wants one personally inscribed.

I recently bought both of the San Francisco Chronicle cookbooks, but I wasn't aware that her recipe was in one of them. I like one of them better than the other, but I can't remember which now.

When Margaret and her husband parted ways, she sold Cafe Beaujolais to him. I don't know whether he's still the chef there or not. Do either of you know? It was a wonderful restaurant when she was chef there, and we always stopped in when we visited Mendocino. Margaret also has a cookbook called EVENING FOOD, but reviews made me think I wouldn't enjoy it. Does anyone here have that one? Her MORNING FOOD cookbook is full of good recipes.

Wino, thanks for that link to the L.A. Times. I didn't know about that article, and it was really interesting! That Mendocino Frittata is on my list of "must makes." Yummm!

 

[bethzaring]

I love this coffee cake. It's very moist.

PECAN COFFEE CAKE

2 cups flour
1/4 tsp. salt
1 tblsp. baking powder
1 cup softened butter
1 cup sour cream
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 eggs
1 tblsp. vanilla ext.
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup pecans
1 tsp. cinnamon
2 tblsp. melted butter

Cream the butter in a large bowl. Gradually beat in sour cream, then the sugar. Beat in eggs, one at a time, then add vanilla. Fold in the flour, baking powder and salt. Spread batter into greased 9 x 13 pan.

In another bowl, combine brown sugar, pecans, cinnamon & melted butter. Sprinkle over cake batter. Bake at 350 degrees about 35 minutes.

This coffee cake recipe is very similar to the one my family used to make just before Christmas, and was served for breakfast Christmas morning, was about the only thing us kids would eat before tearing into the presents. My recipe has just a few minor adjustments to the ingredients, we bake it in a bundt pan and have a layer of stuesel in the middle. It is very good!

 

[Mel!]

Hello Vages Girl

I want to put your recipe, in my files. But i am wondering, if there should be coffee, in the ingredients?

Mel

 

[bethzaring]

Hey Mel,

Americans call these creations, coffee cake, to give us an excuse to eat them for breakfast, with coffee. They do not contain coffee in the cake ingredients.

 

[Mel!]

Thanz Betzaring

I will put it in my files.
It is great to get so many receipes. There is always one to fit in with whatever ingredients i have.

Mel

 

[Anne]

That's funny when you think about it. We call it coffee cake, but there's no coffee in it. We have a tea cake with no tea in it. Moreover, we drink tea with our coffee cake and coffee with our tea cakes! This is one confusing language to people from other countries.

 

[tntvermilion]

Just made the coffee cake recipe and it is wonderful. Thanks for posting the recipe.

 

[Ishbel]

British teacakes are usually heavily fruited and served with afternoon tea.

 

[Anne]

(((((tntvermilion))))) Thanks for telling me! I'm really glad you liked it. I just got some buttermilk today to make another one. I don't like to bake too much in the summer when it's so warm, so we're hungry for one.

Ishbel, I didn't know they had fruit in them.. They sound good. Do you make them? If so, have you posted a recipe?