Well, I tried =/

,Joy the Baker, one of my favorite blogs, is the place I can turn to when I want to to find the perfect recipe, even when I don't know I'm looking for it. So on one visit to her delectable site I stumbled upon a recipe for Strawberry Coffee Cake. It seemed like a simple and cute recipe with plenty of mouth watering pictures to entice the baker within me. Although I put off making it for sometime, I finally came across a perfect storm of a day. I had the house to myself and no plans for hours. I always know that although the recipe may say it has a 20 min. prep time and 50 min. cook time, that means at least 2- 2 1/2 hrs. for me=D. That's pretty much what happened with this recipe. But it was okay because I had already devoted the day to baking.

Sherry's Strawberry Coffee Cake (Upside down)

Joy's Strawberry Coffee Cake


So... the picture of my coffee cake isn't as enticing as Joy's, oh well. A lot about this recipe didn't turn out the way I'd hoped or anticipated. First off, I should have most definitely doubled the amount of strawberries I used. Even though it says to use a cup sliced, I would pretty much just go strawberry crazy. As long as you love strawberries (I mean, if your making a strawberry cake I would hope you do), don't be afraid to put a lot in, it can only help.

Joy's strawberry filling

Sherry's strawberry filling


Yeah, that's definitely not enough ^^. Also, one of my favorite things about coffee cake is that good ole streusel topping. Unfortunately for me, it didn't come out so great. So here's my thought: I think I should bake it halfway, then add the streusel topping. You see in my case, the filling rose up and over the topping and created a flat cake top, as you can see below.
The streusel poked out here and there but that's really not what I'm looking for. Also, when I went to make the layers of batter then strawberries then batter, they ended mixing a bit, which shouldn't have happened.=(


So here's the recipe. I thought the instructions were very good and easy to understand. I was pretty proud of myself for going the extra mile and actually sifting my dry ingredients instead of just tossing them around with a fork. I hope you have better luck with it than I did. In the end, it did taste okay. I mean, it was like your average coffee cake, but I didn't get that great strawberry flavor I was hoping for (probably due to my lack of the sufficient amount of strawberries).

Strawberry Coffee Cake
from Joy the Baker

1 heaping cup sliced strawberries

1/3 cup sugar

2 Tablespoons cornstarch

2 teaspoons water

1/2 cup butter, softened

1 cup sugar

2 eggs

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

8 ounces sour cream

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

a few drops of almond extract (optional)

Topping:

3 Tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

3 1/2 tablespoons sugar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

To make the topping:

Combine all the topping ingredients in a bowl and rub together with your fingertips until crumbly. Set aside.

To make the strawberry mixture:

Combine strawberries, 1/3 cup sugar, water and cornstarch in a small saucepan. Cook over low heat for 5 to 7 minutes, stirring constantly until the sauce is thickened and strawberries are soft and somewhat broken down. Set aside to cool.

Grease and flour a 10×10-inch baking dish, knocking out excess flour, and set aside.

To make the coffee cake:

Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add vanilla extract, and almond extract if you’re using it.

Sift dry ingredients together. Add the dry ingredients to the creamed butter in 3 parts alternating with the sour cream in 2 parts, beginning and ending with the dry ingredients. Beat just until combined.

Spoon 2/3 of the batter into the prepared pan. Spread the cooled strawberry mixture over the batter. Spoon the remaining batter onto the strawberries and spread evenly. Top with streusel topping and bake in the upper third of the oven.

Bake for 50-60 minutes, until a knife inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean.

*side note*: please please please, eat some of the batter before you pour it into the dish. Yes there are raw eggs, but just 2!! It is so light and fluffy like a cloud when you taste it=) It makes you smile.