Hungarian Coffee Cake

Hungarian Coffee Cake

The glaze, by the way, isn't really necessary and can be eliminated if you'd prefer a less sweet cake.

Hungarian Coffee Cake

Ingredients:

Filling

3/4 cup dark brown sugar
1 tablespoon cinnamon
1 tablespoon cocoa
3 tablespoons currants or finely chopped raisins
1 cup toasted walnuts

Batter

3 cups sifted all-purpose flour
1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1-1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup butter, room temperature
2 teaspoons vanilla
1-1/2 cups granulated sugar
3 large eggs, room temperature
2 cups sour cream, room temperature... glaze
2 cups confectioners' sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2-3 tablespoons hot milk

Directions:

1) Adjust an oven rack to lower third of oven. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Butter a 10-inch Bundt pan. Set aside.

2) To make the filling: Combine brown sugar, cinnamon and cocoa in a small bowl. Mix throughly. Stir in nuts and currants or raisins. Set aside.

3) To make batter: Sift flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt into a large bowl. Cream butter in bowl of an electric stand mixer, using paddle attachment. Add vanilla and sugar and beat on medium speed for a minute or two. Add eggs, one at a time, beating each until just incorporated. Scrape sides of bowl, as necessary, to keep mixture smooth. Beat at high speed until mixture is light and creamy, about 1 minute. Turn mixer to low speed. Add dry ingredients in three additions and sour cream in two additions, beating only until smooth after each addition.

4) Spread a thin layer of batter in bottom of prepared pan. This will be easier to do if you use a small spoon to drop batter into pan and then smooth it together. Top with 1/3 of nut mixture. Repeat until you have 4 layers of batter and three layers of nut filling. The top layer will be batter. Bake 50 to 60 minutes, or until cake tester inserted in center of cake comes out clean. Remove from oven and cool for 5 minutes.

5) To make glaze: Combine powdered sugar, vanilla and milk in a small bowl. Mix well. Mixture should have consistency of a thick cream sauce.

6) Spread wax paper underneath a cooling rack. Invert cake on cooling rack. Remove pan. Pour glaze over cake, letting it run down sides, while still hot. When glaze is set, transfer cake to a serving plate. Cake may be served warm or at room temperature. Yield: 12 Servings