BUDAPEST COFFEE CAKE

By Marylee

Ingredients

• NUT FILLING:
• 3/4 c. dark brown sugar
• 1 tbsp. cinnamon
• 1 tbsp. powdered unsweetened cocoa
• 2/3 tbsp. currants or raisins, coarsely chopped
• 3 1/2 oz. walnuts, finely cut
• In a small bowl, stir brown sugar, cinnamon and cocoa to mix thoroughly. Stir in currants or raisins and then the walnuts. Set aside.
• CAKE BATTER:
• 3 c. sifted all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 tsp. double acting baking powder
• 1 1/2 tsp. baking soda
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 6 oz. butter
• 2 tsp. vanilla
• 1 1/2 c. sugar
• 3 eggs
• 2 c. sour cream

Preparation

Step 1

Adjust rack 1/3 up from bottom of oven. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Butter a 10-inch Bundt pan. (This is best baked in a Bundt pan, but a tube pan of similar size may be substituted.) Even if the pan is Teflon, it should be buttered for this recipe.
Sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Set aside. In large bowl of electric mixer, cream the butter. Add vanilla and sugar; beat for a minute or two. Add eggs individually, beating until thoroughly incorporated after each. Scrape bowl with rubber spatula as necessary to keep mixture smooth and beat at high speed for a minute or so until mixture is light and creamy.

On lowest speed, alternately add dry ingredients in 3 additions and sour cream in 2 additions, continuing to scrape bowl as necessary with the rubber spatula and beating only until smooth after each addition.

Spread a thin layer of the batter in the bottom of the pan. Sprinkle very generously with about 1/3 of nut filling. Continue making layers, 4 of the batter and 3 of filling. The top layer should be batter. It will take a bit of patience to spread the batter thin. It will be easier if the batter is placed on by many small spoonfuls and then spread with the back of the spoon, instead of just being dropped on in 2 or 3 large amounts.

Bake 50-60 minutes (MW: 12-15 on full power, covered with wax paper) or until cake tester comes out dry and the top feels firm and springy. Remove from oven. Leave cake in pan 5 minutes, no longer. The cake should be hot when glaze is applied. Meanwhile, prepare glaze.