Breakfast Cake

Sometimes I feel baking something delicious for breakfast, but I don't want it to take forever and I don't want to start the day with a million dirty dishes. Recently, I discovered this cake, and it's perfect. I wish I could show in the pictures just how moist and tender it is! Almost like a snickerdoodle in cake form. And it's not extremely sweet; more like a muffin than a real cake. But the cinnamon-sugar on top gives it just enough sweetness, and an amazing light-crisp crunch which flakes gently off the top. On the edges, where the cake rises higher, it sometimes folds over the cinnamon and makes a dark cinnamon swirl inside. It's heavenly.

I don't know exactly what fits in the category of "coffee cake," but we've had this with hot chocolate and they complement each other perfectly, so I assume it would be good with coffee too. :) We call it "Breakfast Cake." You can mix it up in 5 minutes with just a bowl and a spoon, pop it into the oven while you get the kids dressed and the baby fed, and eat a delicious warm breakfast a half hour later. Our family devours the whole thing at one sitting. (Oh, and you can use up sour milk in this too, which elevates it from an efficient meal to a downright virtuous one.) 

It isn't necessary, but you can dress this cake up if you wish. It's delicious with fresh berries on top, and we've drizzled sweetened yogurt over the top as well. Or you could use whipped cream and berries for a delicious sort of Berry Shortcake. (I always think the "cake" in shortcake is the weak link in that dessert---this cake would be SO much better.) But really, it shines just fine on its own, when you can really appreciate the contrast between the thick, moist cake and the wafer-thin cinnamon crust on top.

Breakfast Cake

1 cup sugar

2 cups flour

2 tablespoons baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

2 eggs, beaten

1 cup milk or sour milk
1/2 cup butter or margarine, melted

Topping:

1/2 cup sugar

3 T. cinnamon (I like a strong cinnamon flavor; you can decrease this if you wish)

Sift sugar, flour, baking powder and salt together into a large bowl. In a large liquid measuring cup, measure out one cup of milk and then drop in both eggs. Beat the eggs and milk together in the cup, with a fork or an immersion blender; then make a well in the dry ingredients and pour this mixture into it. Pour in the melted butter too, and stir it all together until just combined. (Do not over-mix. Batter may be lumpy, and that's okay. Just barely mixing this is what ensures a tender crumb.) 

Pour batter into a greased 9x13 pan and smooth out the top.

Mix sugar and cinnamon, then sprinkle on top of the cake batter until the surface of the batter is completely covered, like this:

Bake at 350 in a greased 9x13 pan for 25-30 minutes, or until toothpick comes out with just a few moist crumbs sticking to it.