Jessie Sheehan's Vanilla Yogurt Coffee Cake, as seen on Food Network Kitchen.
Recipe courtesy of Jessie Sheehan

Vanilla Yogurt Coffee Cake

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  • Level: Easy
  • Total: 2 hr 10 min (includes cooling time)
  • Active: 30 min
  • Yield: 16 servings
Successful Baking for Flavor and Texture (1934) won me over with its gorgeous pink cover. I found a simple coffee cake recipe there and I substituted oil for the butter and added a couple of egg yolks to make it as moist as possible. With Greek yogurt so popular these days, I decided to use it instead of buttermilk--it gives the cake a wonderful tang. I also added a generous amount of vanilla (strangely, the original recipe called for none!). A buttery brown sugar-cinnamon crumb that goes both inside and on top of the cake (and can be doubled if you're all about the topping and swirl) rounds out this perfect breakfast treat.

Ingredients

Crumb Topping and Swirl

Coffee Cake

Directions

Special equipment:
A 10- to 12-cup [1.4- to 2.8-L] tube pan.
  1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F [180 degrees C]. Generously grease a 10- to 12-cup [1.4- to 2.8-L] tube pan with nonstick cooking spray or softened butter and dust with flour, knocking out any excess.
  2. For the topping and swirl: Mix all of the ingredients together in a medium bowl with a fork until thoroughly combined. Refrigerate, covered in plastic wrap, until ready to use.
  3. For the cake: In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the granulated sugar, oil and vanilla on medium-low speed until well combined, stopping and scraping the bowl with a rubber spatula, as needed, 2 to 3 minutes. On low speed, add the eggs and yolks, one at a time, stopping and scraping the bowl after each addition.
  4. Add the dry ingredients on low speed in three additions, alternating with two additions of the yogurt, scraping the bowl as needed with a rubber spatula. Stop the mixer and remove the bowl when there are still streaks of flour in the batter. Finish mixing by hand.
  5. Transfer half of the batter to the prepared pan and smooth the top with a small offset spatula or butter knife. Sprinkle half of the crumb mixture evenly over the batter. Add the remaining batter and smooth the top again. Using your fingers, sprinkle the remaining crumb mixture evenly over the top of the cake, pressing down lightly.
  6. Bake for 60 to 70 minutes, rotating the pan at the halfway point. The cake is ready when a cake tester inserted in the center comes out with a moist crumb or two. Let cool to room temperature before removing from the pan. Run a paring knife around the edges to release the cake from the pan.
  7. Dust with confectioners' sugar before serving. The cake will keep, tightly wrapped in plastic wrap, for up to 3 days on the counter.