C is for Coffee Cake

Most coffee cakes do not contain coffee. Coffee cake just tastes best with coffee!
Below is my reinvention of the famous Cafe Beaujolais coffee cake. It has all the spices you might find in a cup of chai and tastes amazing, especially with coffee.

Spiced Coffee Cake
makes 8 to 12 servings
2 1/4 cup (287g) cake flour (plain flour is fine)
1 cup (238g) molasses sugar or dark brown sugar
3/4 cup (150g) granulated sugar
1 tsp ground cardamon
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 cup (160 ml) vegetable oil
1 cup (85g) sliced almonds
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 egg
1/2 cup (120ml) milk
1/2 cup (120ml) yogurt

Mix flour, brown sugar, granulated sugar, 1 tsp cinnamon, cardamon, nutmeg, ginger and salt. Blend in oil until smooth. Remove 3/4 cup (about 170g) mixture and combine with almonds and remaining 1 tsp cinnamon. Mix and set aside.
To the remaining flour mixture, add baking powder, baking soda, egg, milk and yogurt. Blend until smooth. Pour into buttered 13 x 9 inch baking pan. Sprinkle reserved nut mixture evenly over the surface of the batter. Bake at 350 degrees (177 C) for 35 to 40 minutes. Place on wire rack to cool. Cut into squares and serve with coffee.

And a bit of history from The Food Timeline
Food historians generally agree the concept of coffee cake [eating sweet cakes with coffee] most likely originated in Northern/Central Europe sometime in the 17th century. Why this place and time? These countries were already known for their traditional for sweet yeast breads. When coffee was introduced to Europe these cakes were a natural accompaniment. German, Dutch, and Scandinavian immigrants brought their coffee cake recipes with them to America.
The first coffee cake-type foods were more like bread than cake. They were simple concoctions of yeast, flour, eggs, sugar, nuts, dried fruit and sweet spices. Over time, coffee cake recipes changed. Sugared fruit, cheese, yogurt and other creamy fillings are often used in today's American coffee cake recipes.