Coffee Cake

CINNAMON SWIRL COFFEE CAKE

This family recipe is wonderful for dessert,
breakfast or tea.

• 1 3/4 cups sugar
• 1/2 cup chopped walnuts, toasted
• 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
• 1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder
• 3 cups all purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted
  butter, room temperature
  
• 4 large eggs
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup whole milk

Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter 10-inch-diameter
by 4-inch-deep angel food cake pan; dust with
flour. Mix 1/2 cup sugar, walnuts, cinnamon and
cocoa in small bowl. Sift flour, baking powder
and salt into medium bowl.
Beat butter in large bowl until smooth. Gradually
beat in remaining 1 1/4 cups sugar. Beat in eggs
1 at a time, then vanilla. Mix in dry ingredients
in 3 additions alternately with milk in 2
additions. Spoon 1/3 of batter into prepared pan.
Sprinkle with half of walnut mixture. Top with
half of remaining batter, then remaining walnut
mixture and remaining batter. Using knife, cut
through batter to swirl walnut mixture.
Bake cake until tester inserted near center comes
out clean, about 55 minutes. Cool cake in pan on
rack. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover pan with
foil; store at room temperature.)
Cut around pan sides and center tube to loosen
cake. Turn cake out; transfer cake, rounded side
up, to plate.

Serves 12

CINNAMON-WALNUT COFFEE CAKE

Bisquick got its start in the early thirties
when Carl Smith, a salesman for General Mills,
took a late-night train ride. He went to the
dining car in hopes of finding something to eat,
and was pleasantly surprised to be served freshly
made biscuits. When he asked about them, the chef
confessed that he kept a pre-mixed batch of
ingredients for the dough in the freezer for late
orders. Smith reported back to General Mills,
suggesting that they market such a mix, and they
did. But it's not just for biscuits; Bisquick can
be used to make pancakes and waffles, and this
luscious coffee cake, too.

• 1 cup (scant) finely chopped walnuts
• 6 tablespoons sugar
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 3 cups Bisquick (buttermilk baking mix)
• 3/4 cup buttermilk
• 1 large egg
• 4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted
  butter, room temperature
  
• 3/4 cup powdered sugar
• 5 teaspoons (or more) whole milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 400°F. Mix walnuts, 4 tablespoons
sugar and cinnamon in small bowl. Mix Bisquick
and 2 tablespoons sugar in large bowl; add
buttermilk and egg and stir until sticky dough
forms.
Turn dough out onto work surface sprinkled with
Bisquick; knead 6 to 8 turns until smooth. Roll
out dough to 12x9-inch rectangle. Spread 2
tablespoons butter over, then sprinkle with
walnut-sugar mixture, leaving 1-inch border on
all sides. Starting at 1 long side, roll up
jelly-roll style. Press roll to flatten slightly.
Transfer, seam side down, to ungreased baking
sheet.
Using sharp knife, make crosswise cuts 3/4 of the
way into roll along 1 long side, spacing cuts 1
inch apart. Shape roll into ring, with cuts
facing outward; pinch ends together to seal. Turn
cut slices to lie almost on their sides.
Bake cake until deep golden brown and baked
through, about 25 minutes. Cool 10 minutes on
sheet.
Stir 2 tablespoons butter in small saucepan over
medium heat until golden brown, about 3 minutes.
Remove from heat. Stir in powdered sugar, 5
teaspoons milk and vanilla, adding more milk by
teaspoonfuls if icing is too thick. Drizzle
icing over warm cake. Serve warm or at room
temperature.

Makes 8 servings.