This is about as easy and simple a coffee cake as you can find. It’s incredibly versatile, and I’ve included some of my favorite filling and glaze combinations for you to try out. But don’t be afraid to experiment with other ideas to make it your very own.
Ingredients
- ½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature, plus more for
- greasing the pan
- 2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 0.125 teaspoon salt
- 1½ cups sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1 cup whole milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Filling and glaze combination of your choice (recipes follow)
How to Make It
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease and lightly flour an 8 × 8 × 2-inch glass baking dish.
- In a medium bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat the butter and sugar on high speed until light and fluffy, 3 minutes. Beat in the eggs.
- Scrape down the sides and around the bottom of the bowl. Beat on high for 1 minute. Add the flour mixture, milk, and vanilla. Beat on low speed just until moistened. Spread a third of the batter over the bottom of the pan. Spoon half of your filling choice evenly over the batter, leaving about an inch or so of the border empty. Carefully spread another third of the batter over the filling, and then top with the remaining filling. Cover with the remaining batter, and sprinkle with the topping or drizzle with the glaze of your choice.
- Bake until golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out with just a few crumbs on it, 40 to 45 minutes. Serve warm.
