SOUR CREAM COFFEE CAKE WITH CINNAMON CRUMBLE
This one’s probably the most classic coffee cake of the bunch, our version of Drake’s coffee cake. If you live around New York City, you’ll know what we’re talking about. If you’ve watched Seinfeld, you’ll know, too. And if you don’t, or haven’t, then this one’s a fairly tender, light cake with a crunchy, buttery, cinnamon-scented topping. In fact, there’s so much topping that the cake collapses a bit under its weight, getting softer and a little chewier right underneath.
For the crumble
3 cups all-purpose flour
1⅓ cups packed light brown sugar
2 tablespoons ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon salt
16 tablespoons (2 sticks) unsalted butter, melted and cooled to room temperature
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1. Mix the flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, and salt in a large bowl until uniform. Stir in the melted butter and vanilla until the mixture is a crumbly amalgam.
For the coffee cake
19 tablespoons (2 sticks plus 3 tablespoons) cool unsalted butter, cut into small chunks, plus additional for the sheet pan
4¾ cups all-purpose flour
1¼ teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon baking soda
1⅔ cups granulated white sugar
⅔ cup packed light brown sugar
3 large eggs plus 1 large egg yolk, at room temperature
1¾ cups plus 1 tablespoon full-fat sour cream
1. Position the rack in the center of the oven. Heat the oven to 325°F. Generously butter the inside of a 13 × 18-inch lipped sheet pan.
2. Whisk the flour, baking powder, salt, and baking soda in a medium bowl until uniform.
3. Using a handheld electric mixer or a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, beat the butter and both sugars in a large bowl at medium speed until creamy and light, about 5 minutes.
4. Beat in the eggs one at a time, then beat in the egg yolk and vanilla until uniform. Scrape down the inside of the bowl and beat in the sour cream until smooth.
5. Add the flour mixture and beat at low speed until the batter is quite thick, about like a wet paste. Use an offset spatula to spread the thick batter evenly into the prepared pan. Clean and dry your hands, then squeeze small handfuls of the crumble topping into oblong clumps before breaking each up as you scatter the small bits over the batter. Continue until the top is evenly covered in a little “sand” and lots of small “pebbles.”
6. Bake until set and browned, and until a toothpick or cake tester inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean, 35 to 38 minutes. Cool in the pan on a wire rack for at least 20 minutes before slicing into squares to serve warm.
TESTER NOTES
Make the crumbles on top about the size of shelled peanuts with finer bits around them—lots and lots of little tidbits scattered everywhere.