Mmm…Buttery, Cinnamon Coffee Cake

Ham, lamb and crawfish are front and center this week as we head toward Easter, but I also like to make something yummy and different for breakfast over the break. I like savory over sweet dishes—things like eggs, hash browns, lox and bagels and crisp bacon—but I make a big exception for coffee cake. The right coffee cake is exactly what its name suggest, a perfect foil for coffee, and I especially love versions that deliver a sturdy, but buttery texture, a swirl of intense cinnamon throughout and a crumbly, brown sugar surface. I like it bundt-shaped, and I prefer it without nuts. If you feel similarly, here’s a great recipe created by the mother of some old friends. I made it for our St. Patrick’s Day parade party, and it was a huge hit.

ľ cup brown sugar
3 teaspoons cinnamon
2 sticks butter, softened
2 cups sugar
3 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla
3 ˝ cups flour
1 teaspoon salt
4 teaspoons baking powder
1 12 oz. can evaporated milk
˝ cup powdered sugar, sifted
2 tablespoons boiling water
1 teaspoon vanilla

Butter large bundt pan. Mix brown sugar and cinnamon and set aside. Have all ingredients at room temperature. Beat butter and sugar until very creamy. Add eggs, one at a time, and beat well. Beat in two teaspoons vanilla. Combine flour, salt and baking powder. Add alternately, flour mixture and condensed milk. Pour 1/3 batter into pan and sprinkle ˝ of cinnamon mixture on top. Cover with another 1/3 batter, sprinkle remainder of cinnamon mixture. Cover with remaining 1/3 batter. Bake at 350 degrees for one hour and 10 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool for 10 minutes, then remove from pan. Mix ˝ cup powdered sugar, about two tablespoons of water and 1 teaspoon vanilla. Dribble over hot cake to glaze.—A Southern Collection