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Tuesday 4 September 2012

a caloric whopper ;)

Coffee Cake with a caramel glaze!


 
Oh, god, Snickers coffee cake? Yes, go ahead, unbutton your pants. I’ll wait. Okay, think traditional coffee cake, you know the kind with a heavier crumb and all nutty with pecans, spiced with cinnamon and crunchy with a streusel topping – well here’s where I part ways with the classic: the streusel. I kept the crunchy and upped the traditional brown sugar pecan streusel with a Snickers streusel. Since my heavy hand is never happy, I added a salted caramel glaze to the topping as well. I dont have to say YUM twice ;)
 
 
 
Lace up your running shoes (or not) because this one is a caloric whopper! Just don’t say I didn’t warn you about how rich this is.

A few notes:
  • Admittedly, the Snickers streusel does take some “extra” work. You’ve been warned! With that in mind here are two options:
Less work version- Place all the streusel ingredients in a bowl and combine it until the mixture comes together forming small peas size crumbles. Reserve 1/2 cup and set aside the remaining. Pour 1/3 of the batter into the pan and sprinkle 1/2 cup Snickers Streusel on top, and then pour remaining batter on top. Bake for 40 minutes. Remove cake and sprinkle the remaining streusel on top. Return cake to oven and finish baking the cake with the Snickers streusel for the last ten minutes. The Snickers Coffee cake is ready when an inserted cake tester is removed clean of crumbs. Remove it from the oven and cool completely. Pour the salted caramel glaze on top. Keep in mind the streusel may come together in little masses here and there from the melted chocolate. It will not stay perfectly crumbled like a traditional streusel
“Extra” work version: Follow the recipe as written. Like I said it’s a little more work because the streusel is baked alone as one thin layer rather than with the cake and therefore tends to melt down onto the bake sheet into one large mass. But follow the directions and you will have yourself a perfectly crumbly and crunchy streusel (and if you get adventurous – throw in some oats, make a few tweaks and you’ll have some Snickers granola).
  • If you are wondering why I reversed the layering order of streusel and the glaze, I did so to preserve every bit of crunchy topping while still being able to heavily pour on the salted caramel glaze rather than just drizzle it on top of the Snickers streusel.
  • I used roasted and salted pecans. If you are only able to find raw pecans than make sure you roast and chop them before using (roasting any nut will bring out the flavor).
  • a quick step by step on caramel sauce:
  • Homemade Caramel Sauce

    • 1 cup sugar
    • 6 tablespoons water
    • 4 tablespoon butter
    • ¼ c heavy cream
    • 1/4 teaspoon salt (optional, for salted caramel sauce)
    Instructions:
    1. Place sugar and water into a saucepan over medium low heat and stir the until sugar has dissolved. Dissolve any crystals forming on the side with a wet pastry brush.
    2. Once sugar has dissolved increase heat to high.
    3. At this point do not stir the mixture directly. Now and then, using the handle, give the pot a swirl to keep the mixture moving. The mixture will start to bubble after a minute or so.
    4. After 3-4 minutes the mixture will turn from a light amber to medium amber and then finally to a dark reddish brown color. Once the mixture starts to smoke, add the butter and heavy cream. The mixture will bubble wildly. Whisk to combine (bubbles will subside upon cooling). Set aside to cool completely.
    Notes:
    • The longer the caramel cooks the harder it will become as it cools.
    • If after cooling the caramel is too hard, re-heat it and add more water, milk or heavy cream to thin it.
    • If after cooling the caramel is too liquid-y, make a second batch and cook the caramel slightly longer, then mix the two together.
    • For a deeper caramel flavor add your butter and cream after the mixture has smoked for about 30 seconds.


Snickers Coffee Cake with a Salted Caramel Glaze.

Makes one 10in cake | Preparation: Heat oven to 180 degrees c. Cover an angel food cake pan with bake spray and a light dusting of flour

INGREDIENTS:
Snickers Streusel
  • 11/4 plus 1/4 cup flour
  • ¾ cup brown sugar
  • 1 tablespoon cinnamon (or more for preference)
  • 2 cups chopped Snickers ( about 4 regular size candy bars)
  • 1 ½ cup pecans, toasted and chopped
  • ½ cup toffee
  • 6 tablespoons butter, cold
Coffee cake
  • 2 sticks of butter, softened
  • 2 cup sugar
  • 4 eggs
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 cup sour cream
  • 1 cup milk
  • 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon salt
Salted Caramel Glaze
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 6 tablespoons water
  • 4 tablespoon butter
  • ¼ c heavy cream
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 2 cups powdered sugar
  • 5 tablespoons of milk
 
INSTRUCTIONS:
To make Snickers Streusel (Make sure to read the notes from above before starting)
  1. Preparation: Heat oven 180 degrees and cover bake sheet with baking spray.
  2. Place 1 cup of flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, Snickers, pecans, and toffee in a bowl and toss to combine. Using a pastry cutter or fork, cut butter into mixture until it streusel mixture resembles small peas.
  3. Sprinkle streusel mixture out onto bake sheet. Bake for 5-7 minutes and remove from the oven. The mixture will most likely appear melted into one large mass.
  4. Sprinkle 2-3 tablespoon of flour on top and working with a bench scraper, scrape, fold and chop mixture on top of itself into little pea size pieces. Set aside to cool. Reserve ½ cup of mixture and set aside for cake filling.
*If mixture is too clumpy then return pan to oven and bake for another 5-7 minutes and repeat step 4.
To make coffee cake
  1. Place sugar and butter in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment on medium speed and cream ingredients until light and fluffy. Add eggs in one at a time and mix until combined. Add vanilla extract and mix until combined. Add in sour cream and mix until combined. Turn off mixer.
  2. Place milk in a sauce pan and heat until small bubbles appear along the edge of the pan; set aside Sift flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt.
  3. Using a wooden spoon or sturdy spatula add the dry mixture and milk into the wet mixture in three addition, starting with dry mixture and ending with the milk.
  4. Pour a 1/3 of batter into prepared pan and sprinkle reserved Snickers Streusel on top. Pour remaining batter over streusel. Bake at 180 degrees celcius for about 50 minutes or until inserted cake tester is clean of crumbs when removed.
To make salted caramel glaze
  1. Place sugar and water into a saucepan over medium low heat and stir until sugar has dissolved. Dissolve any crystals forming on the side with a wet pastry brush.
  2. Once sugar has dissolved increase heat to high.
  3. At this point do not stir the mixture directly. Now and then, using the handle, give the pot a swirl to keep the mixture moving. The mixture will start to bubble after a minute or so.
  4. After 3-4 minutes the mixture will turn from a light amber to medium amber and then finally to a dark reddish brown color. Once the mixture starts to smoke, add the butter and heavy cream. The mixture will bubble wildly. Whisk to combine (bubbles will subside upon cooling).
  5. Add in powder sugar and stir to combine. Add milk in and stir to combine.
Assembly
  1. Pour salted caramel glaze on cooled cake and quickly sprinkle Snickers Streusel on top and press into glaze lightly.

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