Honeymoon Coffee Cake

On Monday, The Bibbed Wonder and I will mark our nineteenth year of wedded bliss. I continue to believe that the day we married was the first best day of my entire life. Just like our relationship, our wedding day was a bit unorthodox. We got married on a Friday night because my bib overall wearing wonder buns could not wait to make me his bride., Ha! I can’t keep a straight face when I write that. Actually, I had been engaged several times before, and the poor man was fearful I would turn tail and run just like I did in the past. He ensured our engagement was short so I wouldn’t get cold feet. Much to my mother’s chagrin, our engagement only lasted two months.

In that two months, we put together a small intimate wedding. Only our immediate family was in attendance at the church ceremony. Eric was fearful he would be left at the altar and didn’t want a vast audience to witness his potential jilting…poor guy. I didn’t know any of this until after the fact. Obviously, I did not experience the same dread and fear over life-long commitment that I had experienced in the past. We married on a beautiful Friday evening, and the minister said he had never seen two people smile so much. It was indeed a happy day.

We went to Niagara on the Lake for our honeymoon. While there, we stayed in a lovely little bed and breakfast. Our honeymoon suite was beautiful. It had a small deck overlooking beautiful gardens, a king-size four-poster bed, and a luxurious bathroom with a private hot tub. We spent our days traveling around to the wineries to return to our beautiful room to sit in the hot tub, drink ice wine, and smoke Cuban cigars. It was the perfect relaxing getaway for us.

The two lovely innkeepers made our stay extra special. They were the most gracious and accommodating hostesses. Often, we were the only guests, and they went out of their way to make our stay extra special. One of the staples of their breakfast menu was a delicious cinnamon swirl coffee cake they made from scratch. Eric and I raved over the coffee cake the first morning. Consequently, the ladies made us coffee cake every morning, often surprising us by leaving large pieces beautifully displayed on a tray in our room for us to enjoy in the evening.

On the last day of our honeymoon, they graciously copied the recipe for us, placed it in an envelope, and gave it to us as a parting gift. I continue to make this delectable treat for The Bibbed Wonder and, now, my bean. The Bean enjoys it so much that Eric and I usually only get one piece before she makes it all disappear.

On this Foodie Friday, I share with you the recipe we refer to as Honeymoon Coffee Cake. Enjoy, dear reader.

Honeymoon Coffee Cake

-Preheat the oven to 350 degrees

-Grease a 9x9 Baking Pan

Ingredients

Cake

1 Stick Softened Butter

¾ Cup Sugar

1 Teaspoon Vanilla Extract

1 Egg

2 Cups Flour

2 Teaspoons Baking Powder

Pinch of Salt

¾ Cup Milk

In a medium-size mixing bowl, cream together butter and sugar using a mixer at medium speed. Add egg and vanilla. Mix completely. Sift together flour, baking powder, and salt. Add half of the dry ingredients to creamed butter and sugar. When combined, add the milk. Once the milk is incorporated, add the remaining flour mixture. Mix completely. Set aside.

Filling

3 Tablespoons Softened Butter

1 Tablespoon Cinnamon

½ Cup Flour

½ Cup Packed Brown Sugar

In a separate small mixing bowl, combine flour, sugar, butter, and cinnamon until soft crumbs form.

Topping

3 Tablespoons Softened Butter

¾ Cup Flour

½ Cup Packed Brown Sugar

1 Tablespoon Cinnamon

To make the topping, combine butter, flour, brown sugar, and cinnamon in a food processor. Pulse until coarse crumbs form. (You may also use two forks to mix, but a food processor makes it much easier.)

Pour half of the batter into greased baking pan. Spread batter evenly. Sprinkle the filling mixture evenly over the cake batter. Pour the remaining batter on top of the filling mixture. (I use a small frosting spatula to distribute batter evenly without disturbing the filling.)

Next, top the cake batter with topping crumbs, lightly pressing topping crumbs into the batter.

Bake at 350 degrees for 45-50 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean. Cool until warm. Serve warm with a good cup of coffee.

I hope, dear reader, you have enjoyed the recipe for our Honeymoon Coffee Cake. It is deliciously served for breakfast or brunch with a nice fruit salad. It also makes a lovely afternoon snack served with a good cup of coffee. It’s a nice pick-me-up in the middle of the day.

As always, stay safe, be smart, enjoy Honeymoon Coffee Cake this weekend, and of course, wash your hands. Have a fantastic weekend!