Cinnamon-Crumble Jam Coffee Cake.

About a month and a half ago, our refrigerator started making very loud humming sounds.  This was a very expensive fridge and very new (bought last summer!)  We looked up information on the internet, we disconnected the fridge overnight, we cleaned, we removed ice, we called, we had a repairman come look at it, he ordered a part that the fridge company didn't have anymore.  Needless to say, we got a new fridge this week at the expense of the old fridge's company :)

Long story short, I moved a lot of food from fridge to fridge and realized how much stuff gets pushed aside and neglected.  There was a teeny bit of strawberry jam left in a big jar.  This is what I did with it.  It was absolutely delicious and you should make it with whatever jam you've got hanging about in your fridge!

Cinnamon-Crumble Jam Coffee Cake
Adapted from Cooking Light
Crumb topping:
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup packed light brown sugar
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, cold and cut into small pieces

In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, brown sugar, spices and salt.  Using a fork or two knives, cut the cold butter into the dry mixture until crumbs form.  Set aside while you make the cake batter.

Cake:
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
2/3 cup powdered sugar
1 large egg
1/2 cup buttermilk, or 6 tablespoons milk plus 2 tablespoons lemon juice or vinegar
1/4 cup jam of your choice

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. and grease an 8x8" square baking dish with nonstick cooking spray.

In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.  In a larger bowl, cream together the butter and sugar, then add the egg.  Add the dry ingredients and milk alternately, beginning and ending with the dry ingredients.  Scrape half of the batter into the prepared pan and spread evenly.  Spoon dollops of the jam over the batter and spread it as evenly as you can, then top with the rest of the batter.  (I found a small off-set spatula was perrrrfect for this!) Sprinkle the reserved crumb mixture on top and bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 30 to 40 minutes.

Let cool completely before cutting into squares.  Stored at room temperature, this cake keeps for 3 days.

Cinnamon-Lime Panna Cotta with Blueberry Sauce.

I originally set out to make a pie this weekend and then remembered I had more than half of a quart of half-and-half leftover from making my sister's cheesecake ice cream last weekend.  I browsed a few cookbooks before deciding on a panna cotta from David Lebovitz's Ripe For Dessert.

Panna cotta is a lovely summer desert.  Served chilled, it's a refreshing and lighter alternative to richer and sweeter custards or puddings (although I can't say I prefer it, creme brulee will always be a favorite ;)  I used blueberries as the accompanying sauce because they were what I had the most of and what the original recipe also calls for, but feel free to substitute any fruit you want.

The only other change I made to this recipe was using lime zest in place of the lemon.  It was what I had in the fridge but I don't regret it - I think it helped to make the panna cotta taste even more summery :)

Cinnamon-Lime Panna Cotta with Blueberry Sauce
Adapted from Ripe For Dessert
1 1/3 cups half-and-half
1/2 cup sugar
Grated zest of 2 limes
2 cinnamon sticks
1 envelope unflavored gelatin
3 tablespoons cold water
2/3 cup buttermilk

In a small saucepan, warm the half-and-half, sugar, zest and cinnamon sticks over medium heat until it begins to steam.  Turn off the heat, cover the saucepan and let steep for a half an hour to an hour.

In a medium bowl, sprinkle the gelatin over the cold water and let it soften for about 5 minutes.  Rewarm the half-and-half mixture if necessary, then pour it through a strainer into the gelatin, whisking until it's smooth, and stir in the buttermilk.

Lightly grease or oil 8 4-ounce ramekins and divide the panna cotta mixture among them.  Refrigerate for at least 4 hours, or until firm.

Blueberry Sauce
2 pints blueberries, picked over and rinsed with cold water
Juice of 1 lime
1/2 cup sugar

In a small saucepan, stir the blueberries, lime juice and sugar over medium heat, until most of the blueberries start to pop and release their juices.  Cook until it boils and thickens slightly, then refrigerate.

Miss Emma Smith's War Cake.

Perfect for breakfast, brunch, or a snack, this delicious cake is incredibly easy to make and even easier to eat.  It contains no dairy - that is, no eggs, milk, or butter, although I did use butter for the lard originally called for - and you can, and should, make it ahead of time to allow the flavors to develop, which means you can make it when you have time and eat it when you don't! 

I love old recipes like this and I don't know what took me so long to make it.  To help convince you to make this cake, here's a charming except from the cookbook I found it in: "This recipe is a war cake, born out of necessity, since it includes no eggs, butter or milk.  It's also an example of a recipe giving the marital status of the originator.  Miss Smith's contemporary, Mrs. William Eaton, apparently added the two teaspoons of cocoa to the recipe.  Also noted by Miss Smith, 'This cake is better at the end of a week or even longer.  It ripens as does all fruitcakes.'"  Could it be any cuter?



This cake is closely related to a fruitcake, but calling anything a fruitcake is a tricky matter as it will put many people off of making and eating it right away.  Really, this is a brown sugary sticky spicy cake dotted with unbelievably moist raisins.  And you need to make it to go with your morning cup of coffee or tea right now :)

Miss Emma Smith's War Cake
Recipe from Heirloom Baking with the Brass Sisters
3 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups plus 1 teaspoon hot water, divided
2 cups brown sugar
2 tablespoons lard (or butter)
1 cup raisins
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
2 teaspoons unsweetened cocoa powder
1 teaspoon baking soda

In a medium saucepan, add 2 cups of the hot water, brown sugar, lard, raisins, salt, spices and cocoa powder and cook over medium-high heat until it comes to a boil.  Stir constantly for 5 minutes, then remove from the heat and let it cool until it reaches room temperature.

In a large bowl, measure out the flour and set aside.  Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F. and line the bottom of a 9x5" loaf pan with wax paper, then spray the paper and sides of the pan with cooking spray. 

Dissolve the baking soda in 1 teaspoon of hot water, then stir into the brown sugar mixture.  Pour everything into the flour and mix well, then scrape the batter into the prepared pan.  Bake for 45 minutes to an hour and 15 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.  Let it cool for about 20 minutes in the pan, then invert onto a wire rack to cool completely.  Wrapped in tinfoil, the cake will get spicier and keeps up to a week.

Chewy Chili Chocolate Oatmeal Cookies.

The beginning of this week started off much too cold for June and everyone agreed a nice dose of chocolate was in order.  I wanted to spice things up a bit, literally, so I devised a comforting chocolate oatmeal cookie and added chili powder and cinnamon to the dough.  I will admit it's not entirely noticeable but it does give the cookies a little extra "something."

If I made these again, I might add up to a tablespoon or more of chili powder - it really does go extremely well with the chocolate! 

 

Chewy Chili Chocolate Oatmeal Cookies
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
2 teaspoons chili powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup quick-cooking oatmeal
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
1 cup packed light brown sugar
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. and line baking sheets with parchment paper.

In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, cinnamon and chili, salt and oats, then set aside.

In a larger bowl, cream together the butter and brown sugar until light, then stir in the egg and vanilla extract.  Dump the dry ingredients into the creamed mixture and stir until a dough starts to come together, then add the chocolate chips.  Drop the dough by teaspoonfuls onto the baking sheets and bake for 8-12 minutes, depending on how large they are.  They should spread just slightly and cracked a bit on top but try not to overbake or they'll lose their chewiness.

Let cool completely on a wire rack before storing airtight up to 4 days.

Toasted Pistachio Cinnamon Swirl Cake.

I hate to admit it, but I bake much more often than I blog.  It was quite an effort to even get myself to bring the camera out for these photos on a rainy Sunday morning, but I'm glad I did!

Instead of the common walnut or pecan, I substituted beautifully green pistachios in this cake, which means a lovely hit of color when you cut into it.  Toasting them intensifies their unique flavor and kept them from becoming too soft as pistachios have a tendency to do in baked goods. 

I miss last week's heat wave already - I can't wait for "real" summer to happen!  This cold rainy stuff can take a hike as far as I'm concerned, but this cake put a smile on my face as soon as I tasted the comforting tender crumb combined with the brown sugar-cinnamon and toasted nuts.  Enjoy! :)

Toasted Pistachio Cinnamon Swirl Cake
Adapted from Cooking Light
1/3 cup toasted pistachios, coarsely chopped
1/3 cup packed brown sugar
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon

3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup canola or vegetable oil
2 large eggs
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups buttermilk

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. and spray a 10-cup Bundt pan with cooking spray.

In a small bowl, combine the nuts, brown sugar, flour and cinnamon and set aside.

In a medium bowl, whisk or sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.  In a large bowl mix the sugar and oil, then add the eggs one at a time.  Stir in the vanilla extract, then add in the flour mixture alternately with the buttermilk until a smooth batter forms.  Pour 1/3 of the batter into the bottom of the greased Bundt pan, then half of the nut mixture.  Pour another 1/3 of the batter, then the last half of the nut mixture and the last amount of batter on top.  The batter will be fairly liquidy so don't worry about spreading it to the edges of the pan or anything like that, it will spread and rise as it bakes.

Bake in the preheated oven for about 35-45 minutes, or until a knife inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean.  Let it cool on a rack for 10 minutes before inverting the cake and cooling completely.  It will keep for up to 4 days stored in a cake keeper or airtight container.

Cherry Streusel Coffee Cake.

Summer is my favorite season, if you couldn't tell.  So last week when cherries started popping up in stores and markets, we nabbed some up as quickly as possible!  I would say half of them were sweet as can be while the other half needed some improvement, which is where this coffee cake came in handy.  This is a great, simple and easy recipe for any fruit you need to use this summer that might not be completely ideal for eating out-of-hand - peaches, plums, nectarines, blueberries, I could even see strawberries working here.  It's an absolutely delicious cake to enjoy with iced coffee or tea on summer mornings :)

Cherry Streusel Coffee Cake
Adapted from Cooking Light
Streusel topping:
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/3 cup packed light brown sugar
1/4 cup oats (quick-cooking or regular)
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 tablespoon butter, cut into small pieces, cold

Combine the flour, sugar, oats and cinnamon in a small bowl and cut in the butter until you have a cohesive, crumbly mixture.  Keep this in the fridge while you assemble the cake batter.

Cake:
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
1 large egg
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup plain low-fat yogurt or sour cream
1 1/2 cups pitted cherries, quartered

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. and grease an 8x8" baking pan with nonstick cooking spray.

Sift or whisk the flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt together in a small bowl.  In a larger bowl, cream the sugar and butter together until well-combined, then add the egg and vanilla extract and stir until the mixture is smooth.  Add the flour and yogurt to the butter mixture alternately, beginning and ending with the flour.  Spread half of the cake batter into the bottom of the prepared pan, followed by half of the streusel topping.  Place the fruit on top of the streusel evenly, then spread the rest of the cake batter over the fruit, and finally sprinkle the rest of the streusel over. 

Bake in the preheated oven for 35 to 45 minutes.  It should be golden brown on top and a toothpick or knife inserted into the center will come out clean when done. 

Sand Dollar Cookies.

 

I've been home from North Carolina for almost a week now.  I've baked a few things but quite frankly haven't had the motivation or inspiration to write anything or take pictures until now.  It's pretty rough to come back from warm, beautiful sunny weather to day after day of clouds, rain and cold, not to mention being away from my sweetheart!

But life must go on and until I'm able to move more permanently, it doesn't make any sense to sulk around in the mean time.  In comes baking - my ultimate comfort in its routine of measuring out ingredients, whisking, creaming, smelling and most importantly, tasting.  I've had this recipe on my YumTab for a few months now and when I was browsing for things to bake, this seemed like the perfect time to try it out.  Sand dollars are adorable reminders of sun, sand, seashells and water.  I can't tell you how much I love the beach.  I realize being a full time beachcomber is not an original dream but I could absolutely spend the rest of my life walking up and down the North Carolina coastline and never get sick of it.

 

These cookies are absolutely delicious and I hope you try them!  They're buttery, tender, slightly sandy like the environment they evoke and bring some much-needed sunshine to this rainy spell so many of us are going through.  I halved the recipe and got exactly 24 cookies, and added a pinch of salt and vanilla extract to enhance the flavor of the dough.  This is a great project for a rainy afternoon when all you can think about is being at the beach with your favorite person :)

 

Sand Dollar Cookies
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 cup powdered sugar
2 large eggs - 1 whole, 1 yolk with the whole egg and the white in a separate bowl
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 pinch kosher salt
1 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon baking powder

Cinnamon sugar
Sliced almonds

In a large bowl, cream together the soft butter and powdered sugar until very creamy.  Add in the whole egg and yolk, then beat until well combined, then the vanilla and salt.  Stir in the flour and baking powder until you have a very soft dough.  Form the dough into a ball, wrap in plastic or wax paper and refrigerate for at least an hour or up to 3 days.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.  Roll out the dough to 1/4" thick on a floured surface and cut out 3" circles.  Brush the circles with the reserved egg white, sprinkle lightly with cinnamon sugar and press 5 almond slices into the center of each circle.  Bake for 3-4 minutes, then take the sheet out and press the almonds in again, making slight indentations in the circle.  Place the sheet back in the oven and bake until the edges are golden brown, another 7-10 minutes, depending on how thick you cut the circles.  Stored airtight, these cookies will keep up to 5 days.

 

Cinnamon Toasted Almond Biscotti.

I hope everyone who celebrated Easter had as lovely a holiday as I did!  Although last week's weather here certainly didn't feel like spring, my family and I began our Easter preparations anyway, hard-boiling and dyeing eggs, baking Easter egg bread, and buying Wardynski sausage for Sunday brunch.

 

Somehow it slipped my mind to take photos of our feast of brown sugar and mustard-glazed spiral sliced ham, roasted asparagus, smashed red potatoes and sauteed broccoli and cauliflower with shallots, everything smelled and looked too delicious. I did take pictures of the cutest little Easter baby I know, though, my adorable nephew :) 

Judging by many other blog posts I've read over the past couple of days, I know I'm not the only one who overate on Sunday, but I still wanted to bake yesterday.  The placek was almost gone, and the cupcakes had all been given away (luckily!)  There are still jellybeans in a glass bowl and chocolate bunnies sitting in a basket filled with plastic green grass, but those will last and be a reminder of the holiday.  I wanted to preheat the oven, crack some eggs, measure sugar and flour into bowls, stir things together and smell something baking.  So I made these biscotti.  Nothing indulgent, but enough to satisfy that sweet tooth after dinner. 

The original recipe states 36 as the yield - I must slice my biscotti on the very thin side because I easily had 48 when all was said and done.  No matter how thick you slice them, the scent of these baking is incredible, as is anything with cinnamon.  They're absolutely perfect with coffee or tea and I hope you enjoy them as much as I do :)

Cinnamon Toasted Almond Biscotti

3 large eggs
1 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
3 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup sliced almonds, toasted
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.

In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the eggs, sugar and extracts and set aside.  In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, almonds, cinnamon, baking soda and salt until well mixed.  Add the dry ingredients to the egg mixture and stir until a dough forms.  Divide the dough in half and knead slightly until it comes together into a soft dough, forming two 12" ropes and place them side by side on the parchment-lined baking sheet.  Bake until the tops are golden brown and slightly cracked, 25 to 30 minutes.

Let the logs cool for about 10 minutes, then transfer to a cutting board.  Slice into 1/4" to 1/2" thick slices and lay them on the baking sheet and bake in a 325-degree oven for 10 minutes on one side, then 10 minutes on the other side.

Let them cool completely and store in an airtight container for a week.

Molasses Oat Cookies.

 

Although this recipe comes from the Gooseberry Patch book called Autumn in the Country, it definitely still applies in the middle of winter!  It's a warm, soft and slightly spicy cookie studded with chewy raisins and crunchy toasted walnuts and I urge you to try it if you're a fan of any oatmeal cookie.  These are perfect for cuddling up with a cup of hot tea, coffee or milk on a cold January night and I'm pretty sure they've become my family's new favorite oatmeal cookie. 

 

 

I substituted regular raisins for the golden raisins called for and the nuts are listed as optional in the book, but in MY book they're a requirement :) If you do use the nuts, please toast them as it adds wonderful depth of flavor to the cookies.  I also reduced the baking temperature to 350 instead of 400 as instructed - I worried the molasses would burn and I'm glad I did - the lower temperature allows for a crispy outside and chewy middle.

 

 

Molasses Oat Cookies

Adapted from Gooseberry Patch

1/2 cup shortening

2 eggs

1 1/4 cups granulated sugar

1/2 cup molasses

1 3/4 cup all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons cinnamon

2 cups quick-cooking oats

1 cup raisins

1/2 cup toasted and chopped nuts

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and line 2 or 3 baking sheets with parchment paper.

Cream the shortening, eggs, sugar and molasses until light and creamy, about 2 to 3 minutes on medium speed.  While those are mixing, whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and oats in a smaller bowl.  Add the dry ingredients to the creamed mixture and mix until almost combined, then stir in the raisins and chopped nuts.

Drop by small spoonfuls onto the baking sheets and bake until lightly browned on top and the edges, 8 to 10 minutes.

Cinnamon-Ginger Cookies (Biscotti dello Canella-Zenzero).

The first night we had a fire in the fire place, the first time we babysat my new baby nephew, I made these little spice cookies - and they were perfect.   With cups of tea, coffee, milk, or just plain, they're the cutest treat for the colder months.

Cinnamon-Ginger Cookies (Biscotti dello Canella-Zenzero)
Adapted from Cooking Light
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons butter, softened
3/4 cup granulated sugar, divided
3 tablespoons skim milk
3 tablespoons molasses
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Combine the flour, spices, baking soda and salt together in a small bowl and set aside.  In a mixing bowl, cream the softened butter with 1/4 cup of the granulated sugar until light and fluffy, 2 to 3 minutes.  Add the milk, molasses and vanilla extract and beat well.  Stir in the dry ingredients until incorporated.

Form the dough into a flat disk and wrap in plastic wrap and preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.  Refrigerate for at least a half an hour, or until firm enough to form into balls.  When cold, unwrap the dough and using a teaspoon, form little balls and drop them into the remaining 1/2 cup of sugar and roll them around to coat.  Place the cookies on parchment-lined baking sheets, then flatten the tops slightly with the bottom of a drinking glass.  Bake the cookies until very light golden brown, about 8 to 12 minutes, depending on how small or large your cookies are.

When cool, store in an airtight container for up to 4 days.

Pumpkin Cranberry Cake with Cinnamon-Brown Sugar Cream Cheese Frosting.

We like to buy in bulk at my house.  So I don't just buy the 15oz. cans of pumpkin, we buy the 32oz. cans of pumpkin.  So generally I have leftover pumpkin after making recipes.  I just store the leftover in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to a month.  I had just under a cup left and didn't want to open another can so this is what I decided on.

I don't think it's any wonder why I'm obsessed with Southern food and baking since my beloved lives in North Carolina.  This recipe comes from Nancie McDermott's book Southern Cakes: Sweet and Irresistable Recipes For Everyday Celebrations, a book I go to whenever I need an easy and simple yet delicious cake.  This recipe was no exception, the only difference I made was to increase the spices and add a few additional ones as well as use dried cranberries in place of raisins.  I also halved the recipe in order to use the pumpkin I had left, but I'll post the original quantities with my changes here since I realize most people will probably want to make a whole recipe, not a mini cake and a mini loaf as I did.

This recipe calls for self-rising flour.  I'm lucky enough to have my lovely friends in North Carolina provide me with White Lily Flour, but if you don't have that available just add 1 1/2 teaspoons of of baking powder and 1/2 teaspoon of salt per cup of all purpose flour.

Pumpkin Cranberry Cake with Cinnamon-Brown Sugar Cream Cheese Frosting
Adapted from Southern Cakes: Sweet and Irresistible Recipes For Every Day Celebrations
2 1/2 cups self-rising flour
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1 cup vegetable oil
1 1/2 cups sugar
4 eggs
2 cups canned pumpkin puree
3/4 cup dried cranberries
1 cup walnuts or pecans, toasted and chopped

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. and grease a 9x13'' baking pan or 2 8 or 9'' round layer cake pans.

In a large bowl, combine the flour and spices until well mixed.  In a smaller bowl, stir together the oil, sugar, eggs and pumpkin.  Stir the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients until almost mixed, then add the cranberries and nuts.  Scrape the batter into the cake pan(s) and bake in the preheated oven for 25 minutes or until the cake is set on top and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Cool the cakes completely before frosting.

Cinnamon-Brown Sugar Cream Cheese Frosting
1 8oz. package cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 cups confectioner's sugar
Pinch of salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Beat the cream cheese and butter together in a large bowl until well-mixed and fluffy.  Add the sugars a little at a time until it's all added, then beat for about 2 minutes on medium speed.  Add in the pinch of salt and cinnamon and beat until everthing is incorporated.

As you can see I went for the easy method this time of just putting some frosting in the middle and on top of the cake but feel free to slather this cake well as there will be plenty of frosting :)

Apple Cinnamon Coffee Cake.

I'm starting to notice fall recipes include many of the same ingredients: apples, pumpkin, spices, oatmeal, etc.  I don't really get sick of the repeat ingredients as long as the final products are different from one another.  This isn't a typical apple cake with tons of oil or butter or nuts - it's very light yet still extremely comforting. 

This is an extremely quick and tasty coffee cake - I think it literally took 5 minutes to put together.  As with most recipes including cinnamon, I increased the amounts of it from the original recipe.  I cut the sugar down to 3/4 cup , used skim milk in place of the 1% called for, and the cake was still incredibly moist and delicious.  I think you can use whatever apple you have lying around, I used a Gala and it was perfect.  If you're looking for a simple and easy cake to throw an apple or two into, I highly recommend this one.

Apple Cinnamon Coffee Cake
Adapted from Cooking Light
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup milk
2 tablespoons melted butter
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 large egg, slightly beaten
1 large apple, peeled and coarsely chopped

Streusel:
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
2 tablespoons all purpose flour
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 tablespoons chilled butter, cut into small pieces

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. and grease an 8x8 baking dish.

Start by making the streusel: in a small bowl, combine the brown sugar, flour, and cinnamon.  Add in the pieces of butter and create coarse crumbs. Set aside.

In a medium bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and cinnamon.  In a smaller bowl, combine the milk, butter, vanilla extract and the beaten egg until well combined.  Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients, stirring until there are a few lumps left.  Add the chopped apple and stir until just mixed to combine.  Pour the batter into the greased pan and then sprinkle the streusel on top.

Bake the coffee cake for 30 minutes, checking for doneness after about 20 minutes.  A toothpick inserted in the center will come out clean when the cake is done.

Serve warm or let cool completely, cover, and store for up to 3 days.