Serves 12 to 15
I’LL JUST TELL YOU RIGHT NOW YOU’LL BE HEARING ABOUT MY GRANDMOTHER, the grand dame Esther Foropoulos, from time to time in these pages. Gramma passed a year before I began working on this book, but I still wear her influence buttoned up all around me, in so many ways that I’m probably not even aware of most of them.
But what I do know is that Gram was a wonderful example of a midwestern lady, lived her entire life in and around Chicago, and was a bona fide baked goods enthusiast. A faithful user of the midwesternism “Jeet?” (a loose contraction of “did you eat?” to be delivered only as a question), she was nearly always in possession of a good coffeecake and ready to share it. She had a great sense of humor that made her eyes sparkle, and was polite but not immune to sharing a bit gossip over coffee and kuchen. She also had a way of always picking the very best thing from a bakery case, and her opinions on the matter were strong.
Swedish Flop was one of her favorites, and it wasn’t until I began writing this book that I realized just how obscure it is. Found mainly in the Chicago area, this combination of fluffy, yeasted cake and buttercream is, like Esther herself, a showstopper.
¾ cup/96 g unbleached all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled
⅓ cup/75 g firmly packed light brown sugar
5 tablespoons/70 g unsalted butter, at cool room temperature
⅛ teaspoon fine sea salt
1 recipe Ermine Frosting (here)
½ cup/162 g Rhubarb and Raspberry Jam (here), or any good quality, sweet-tart jam
¼ cup/30 g confectioners’ sugar
Prepare the dough: Spray a 9 × 13-inch/23 × 33 cm light-colored metal baking pan with nonstick cooking spray and line it with a parchment paper, leaving a few inches of overhang on the 2 longer sides of the pan.
When the dough has completed its first rise, press it evenly into the prepared pan. Cover with plastic wrap and allow to rise again until doubled, about 45 minutes.
Meanwhile, position an oven rack in the center of the oven and preheat it to 350°F/180°C.
Prepare the streusel: In a medium bowl, combine the flour, brown sugar, butter, and salt. Use your fingertips to work the mixture together into a fine rubble, a combination of coarse crumbs and larger pea-size pieces. Set in the refrigerator to chill.
When the dough has risen, scatter the streusel evenly over the top. Bake until puffed, fragrant, and golden at the edges, about 30 minutes. Let cool completely in the pan on a wire rack.
Assemble the flop: Lift the cake from the pan, using the parchment “handles,” and set on a cutting board or serving platter. Using a long, sharp serrated knife, shave off the outside browned edges of the cake, just about ¼ inch/6 mm of the perimeter, so the yellow interior is exposed. Slice the cake horizontally into 2 even layers. Remove the streuseled lid. Smooth the frosting evenly over the bottom layer, then the spread with the jam. Replace the top. Dust the entire flop generously with confectioners’ sugar before serving. Store any leftovers tightly wrapped for up to 2 days at room temperature, but this cake is best served the same day it’s made.
VARIATION:
STREUSELKUCHEN
If your love for coffeecake is more about the streusel than the actual cake part, first, I feel you, and second, this is the recipe for you. Prepare 1 batch of Buttery, Yeast-Raised Coffeecake Dough (here), and let rise until doubled. Pat it into an oiled 13 × 9-inch/33 × 23 cm baking pan, cover with plastic wrap, and let rise again for 30 to 45 minutes. Meanwhile, double the streusel ingredients and mix as directed, adding ½ teaspoon of freshly grated nutmeg, ground cinnamon, or both. Sprinkle over dough. Bake at 350°F/180°C for 30 minutes. Cool for at least 30 minutes before dusting generously with confectioners’ sugar.