Coffee Cake with almond topping - First Blog Anniversary Special

Belated Happy new year wishes to all of you !!! Hope every one enjoyed their holidays :) Any new year resolutions guys? Hope you are fulfilling them to the best of your ability!! Stick to them and keep going.  My resolutions for the year ?? I havent decided yet :P I  mean I have quite a few in my mind. But couldnt decide which I actually want to implement :) Usually most of my resolutions are never ever practically implemented :( Even if I start following them, they are abandoned almost the second day. But, one year ago on January 8th 2013, I decided to follow one of my resolutions for the year and started a blog - A day through my life. It was something that was on my mind for sometime. but kept on delaying it... I wasnt sure what I wanted the blog to be at first. But then as I started writing on my online diary, I realized I was spending so much time on cooking and recipes and making a note of them, I decided to make it completely a food blog rather than a personal diary. After some days of blogging, I realized that the decision to start a blog was simple enough but maintaining it proved to a slightly difficult task. but then I didnt want to leave blogging saying I couldnt manage it. I was hooked on blogging by then and even though slowly, I was learning a lot and that kept me going. Sometime after I started learning so much about food blogging and the other wonderful blogs and their recipes, my health suffered and I was unable to cook much. Recovery is still in progress, but my blogging has suffered. There was one time last year when I didnt even know whether I will be able to complete one year of blogging. But today after all the initial hiccups, I am very very proud to say that my blog baby is turning ONE !!! Be it a birthday or an anniversary, the first year .. yeah .. Its quite special. And a celebration is a must !! What better than a cake to start off :) 

                            

                                  Happy Birthday to my dear blog !!! 

Before everything, first a very BIG THANK YOU to all of you !! All the readers, all the fellow bloggers, all the friends... every one for supporting me by visiting my blog, leaving comments, encouraging through messages, clearing doubts, helping me learn new things, advising me, for everything... Thank you so much !! I will definitely try to improve my blogging skills even more now and try to post regularly as much as circumstances allow. One year, near 59000 page views and 183 likes on FB, not bad I guess. Target for next year is definitely more recipes, step by step photos and a better presentation of food. With God's grace and your support, hopefully will be able to achieve that too. 

Like many of you, I was someone who never ever stepped into the kitchen to help mom while she was cooking. Nor was I ever asked. Other than the occasional scraping of coconut, I  pretty much never did anything. But the smells from my mom's and grand mom's cooking always entranced me and those memories come alive when I cook these days and experience the same smells. Be it the simple but flavorful tempering in coconut oil with shallots and curry leaves.. or the baking of a delightful cake.. 

My mom is very much interested when I tell her that I baked so and so or cooked this dish. In fact she keeps complaining when she will get to taste what I cook. When ever I go home for vacation, I hardly step into kitchen and indulges in lovely home food. My elder sis too does the same by the way.. But next month when I go home for a short vacation, I hope to cook something special for my parents.. but that's gonna be a one meal offer mostly :)

Since its celebration time, I cracked my brains over what I should cook for the anniversary. Finally decided on a cake and I have broken all my diet rules... Oh Yeah, I decided to diet the wrong time.. Christmas holidays, short vacation trips, new year speicals..  Gained a lot of weight last year and my mom and sis both complains that I look too fat on skype. I need to lose a little before I go home. Cant imagine my mom's reaction when she see me in person :(

So here's from my end to all of you - my blog's birthday special - Coffee cake with almond crumb topping.

 I adapted the recipe from Joy of Baking. Dont get confused by the name like my hubby did. This cake doesnt use coffee flavor in it. Its a just a simple cake that can be had along with coffee/tea. Now off to the recipe. 

Coffee cake with Almond topping: 

Ingredients:

For the Coffee cake:

Heaped 1.5 cup Flour + 3 Tbsp ( I used wheat flour. You can use either wheat flour, all purpose flour or a mixture of both)
2 Tbsp Corn Flour
1 Tsp Baking Powder
1/2 Tsp Baking Soda
1/4 Tsp Salt
1/2 cup unsalted butter at room temperature ( 113 gms or 1 stick )
1 cup Sugar
2 eggs at room temperature
1 Tsp Vanilla Extract
3/4 cup Yoghurt ( Curd)

For the Crumb Topping:

1 cup Toasted Almonds ( Substitute with Walnuts or Pecans)
1/4 cup light brown sugar ( Didnt have. so used white sugar)
1 Tsp ground cinnamon
1 Tbsp Flour ( used wheat flour. You can use either wheat flour or all purpose flour or a mixture of both) 

Prepping:

Step 1: Leave butter and eggs outside the fridge for a while to bring it to room temperature.

Step 2: Mix flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a wide bowl. 

Step 3: Preheat the oven to 350 F for 10 min.

Method of Preparing:

Preparing the Crumb Topping:

Step 1: 

Chop the almonds coarsely and add to a bowl. Then add sugar, cinnamon and Flour. Mix well and keep aside the topping.

Preparing the Cake:

Step 1: 

In a wide bowl, using your hand mixer, beat the butter for a minute to soften it up. Slowly add sugar little by little and cream the butter and sugar till it becomes light and fluffy. (Takes about 4 min). Scrape down the sides of the bowl as required. 

Step 2: 

Now add one egg and beat well till its mixed nicely. Then add the other egg and beat well. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as required. 

Step 3: 

Next add in the vanilla extract. Beat well till mixed. 

Step 4:

Add one third of the whisked flour mixture. Keep the mixer speed on lowest, beat till the flour is incorporated. Now add half of the yoghurt. Beat with the mixer on lowest till mixed. Again add half of the remaining flour and beat till incorporated. Add the remaining yoghurt and beat till incorporated. And finally add the remaining flour and beat till incorporated. 

Note: The mixture obtained will be very thick. 

Step 5: 

Spread the thick mixture onto a 9 inch springform pan. For cakes with crumb toppings, its better to use springform pans. The sides of the springform pan can be easily detached and hence the cake can be removed from the pan without disturbing the crumb topping.  

Step 6:

Sprinkle the crumb topping on the top.

Step 7:

Bake in the preheated oven for 40 to 50 min. Mine was done in 50 min. Check with the help of a toothpick whether the center of the cake is done. If the toothpick comes out clean from the cake, then it means the cake is baked. 

Serve warm with a cup of Tea or coffee. 

Enjoy the cake every one.. Here's a piece for every one. 

Will be back soon with more recipes. 

Cheers, 
Avika