Cardamon Citrus Coffee Cake

Leave it to me to post about coffee cake right after a post about working out! Well I can say I did not have any of this coffee cake - but that it was well received by those who did partake.



I am generally in love with coffee cake - I love all kinds - and baking in a bundt pan gives me an extra thrill. All those cute little ridges and whole in the center - so pretty.

This recipe popped up on google at the Goodlife Eats blog. I love the idea of cardamon but had never used it before. So on my day off Monday I got around to making it. My house smelled amazing - cardamon and citrus - a great combo.

Hope you enjoy it.

Cardamon Citrus Coffee Cake

• 3 cup flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• zest of 1/2 large orange
• 3/4 cup butter, softened
• 1/2 a vanilla bean split open and seeded or 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 3/4 teaspoon ground cardamom
• 3 eggs
• 1 1/2 c sour cream

Filling

• zest of 1/2 large orange
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease bottom and sides of a bundt cake pan.

Prepare the filling by combining the brown sugar, cinnamon, 1/2 the orange zest and cardamom; set aside.



In a mixing bowl, combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cardamom; set aside.

In a small food processor, combine the sugars and the orange zest. Pulse several times until the zest is finely chopped and sugar is fragrant. Alternatively, you can place the sugars in a bowl with the zest and rub it with your fingers.

Using an electric mixer, preferably a stand mixer, beat sugar and butter until fluffy. Add vanilla bean and eggs, beat on medium for 2 minutes, scraping bowl periodically. Beat 1/4 of the flour mixture and sour cream at a time alternately into sugar mixture on low speed till blended. Spread half of batter into pan. Sprinkle filling mixture on top. Add the remaining batter and carefully spread (it may help to spray a spatula with PAM).

Bake for 40 50 minutes, or until tooth pick comes out clean. Cool 30 minutes in pan on wire rack. Remove from pan to wire rack, cool.

Fresh Flours - Ballard

Had to run over to the end of the world this morning - Ballard, so I thought I would check out the new bakery I saw next to Bastille a couple of weeks ago.

Fresh Flours is a cute little shop - utilitarian and basic. Just the way I like it. They have all their pastries laid out on the counter as you walk in behind a glass sneeze guard. They have a cold case with juice and sandwiches in it also. When you look back into the space you can see all the ovens and baking racks - a sort of exposed kitchen. (In fact when I saw this place - I said - "why not me - I want this")

I could not decide what to take away with me so I grabbed a couple of basic items to test them out. Upon talking with the girl behind the counter I learned that they are owned by a Japanese couple who love the art of French pastry infused with subtle Japanese flavors. This explained the azuki bean brioche and green tea cookies.

I picked up this apple turnover. I am a huge fan of pocket type pies and the turnover is my favorite flakey favorite. This version had a thicker than expected exterior with more of a chew than a crisp bite. The apple was nice - perhaps a little sweet. A very pretty pastry.

The other two sweet items I grabbed were a chocolate chip and a peanut butter cookie. I like to try out the basics at new places to see if they can win me over with them. Getting the basics right is so important I think.

The cookies were soft in the middle and chewy around the edges. Overall tasty - the chocolate chip may have been a touch to sweet - but the peanut butter was spot on.

I also picked up a sandwich for my lunch. I love egg salad - my mom makes the perfect egg salad. We are purists - so only egg, mayo and salt/pepper. Always on white bread. Sometimes on white toast for breakfast. The girl at Fresh Flours said their egg salad was a bit dry - but had no mustard - a must. So I decided to give it a whirl. The bread was a bit dry - but that may have been on purpose so over the day it would not get soggy. Other than needing a bit more salt it was not bad. I must say - it did not stick around for a photo - sorry!!

Next time I am in Ballard I will stop in and give one of their Japanese inspired pastries a whirl.