Fast-forward 30 or so years and imagine my confusion reading recipes for coffee cake and wondering where the heck that smoldering caffeine hit was? Yes, yes I know- hindsight now makes me see how short-sighted and literal I was. Lateral thinking was called for. A simple mistake in my defense I’ll plead. Almost as simple as the recipe for this cake here. Soured cream gives a moist crumb hiding a streak (and topping!) of oaty, cinnamon goodness and finished with a drizzle of smokey maple sweetness. This really perfect accompaniment to your caffeine rush no matter what the tine of day.

Ingredients
- 1 1/2 sticks salted butter, softened
- 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
- 3 large eggs
- 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 1/4 cup soured cream
- 2 1/2 cups All Purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
Streusel topping
- 1/2 cup All Purpose flour
- 1/4 cup dark brown sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 3 tablespoons cold butter, cut into small chunks
- 3/4 cup walnuts, lightly toasted
- 3/4 cup rolled oats
Drizzle
- 1/2 cup icing sugar
- 2 tablespoons smoked maple syrup (if you can’t get smoked maple syrup, traditional maple syrup will do just fine)

Method
- Preheat your oven to 350° F. Grease and flour a 10” tube (angel food) pan
- In the bowl of a stand mixer (with paddle attachment) cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. This may take up to 10mins.
- While the butter and sugar cream together, make the streusel. In a bowl combine the brown sugar, flour, cinnamon, salt and butter pieces. Rub the mixture together with your fingertips until a pea-sized sand texture is achieved and a crumble is formed. Mix in the toasted walnuts and set aside until needed later
- To the creamed butter/sugar add the eggs one at a time, ensuring each is fully incorporated before moving onto the next
- When all the eggs have been mixed in, add the vanilla and soured cream and mix until just incorprated
- In a separate bowl combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cinnamon. Whisk well the break down any lumps
- On low speed add the flour mixture to your wet mixture gradually, I usually do it 1/4 cup at a time, waiting for each to be fully incorporated before adding the next
- Continue adding the flour until it is all used and just combined into the mixture. Lightly fold using a spatula to make sure the batter is completely mixed
- Spoon half the batter into the prepared pan and spread/level with a knife spatula. Sprinkle on 1 cup of the streusel mixture evenly.
- Spoon the remainder of the batter on top and spread evenly. Finish with a final layer of the remaining streusel mixture on top
- Bake in preheated even for 50- 60mins, until a cake tester comes out clean
- Let cool on a wire rack for 30mins. After this carefully remove the cake from the baking tin, streusel-side up, and set aside to cool further
- While the cake cools, in a jug combine the icing sugar and maple syrup. Stir until a smooth pourable is achieved. If the mixture is still a bit stiff add a few drops of milk to make it runny. Drizzle the glaze over to top of the cake to your desired amount and leave to fully cool before slicing and serving
- This coffee cake will keep at it’s best in a sealed container at room temperature for up to 5 days. Avoid storing the cake in the refrigerator as this will dry it out.
