As the colder weather approaches, it is good to know a versatile dessert that is warm and spicy. Coffee cake is perfect for a little snack with coffee or tea and can even be served to company after dinner. Coffee cake, contrary to what some think does not contain any coffee, but was given the name because its dense form enables people to dunk it in their coffee, or eat it during a coffee break.

The warm, spicy cinnamon and gooey icing make this cake a great dessert for fall.

Cake:

Dry ingredients:
2 ¼ cups all purpose fur
¼ cup cornstarch
1 packet of Dream Whip
2 tsp baking powder
½ tsp baking soda
Pinch of salt

Wet ingredients:
10 tablespoons (1 ¼ sticks) melted butter
4 eggs
1 cup sour cream
1 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla

Mix wet ingredients in one bowl, and dry in another. Add half of the dry ingredients to the wet and stir. Repeat this same process until all ingredients are combined. Stir just until everything comes together.

Streusel
For this streusel topping, you can use cold butter and make a traditional crumbly topping, or you can use room temperature butter to make a paste, which you can swirl into the cake.

½ cup all purpose flour
1 tsp cinnamon
Pinch salt
4 tablespoons cold or room temperature butter
¼ cup brown sugar

Mix all of these ingredients in a small bowl. If you are using cold butter for a crumbly topping, use a fork to mash the ingredients together until the butter is about the size of peas. If you are using room temperature or melted butter, mix all these ingredients together into a paste.

Assembly:
1. Take half of the cake batter and fill it into either a 9×13 cake pan or bundt cake pan
2. Take half of the streusel topping and crumble it on top of the first layer. If you have made a paste, spoon it on top of the cake, and use your spoon to swirl it into the first layer.
3. Add the second half of the cake batter on top, and repeat the process with the streusel
4. Bake at 350 for 35-40 minutes

Glaze (optional)
This cake tastes great all on its own, but for added moisture and sweetness, you can drizzle this glaze on the top of the cake once it is cooled. Use real maple syrup for this, otherwise it will be way too sweet.

½ cup powdered sugar
2 ½ tablespoons maple syrup.

Combine until runny enough to drizzle on top of the cake.