Gingerbread Coffee Cake

This post is sponsored by FAGE; all thoughts and opinions are my own. Thank you for supporting The Pancake Princess and the sponsors who keep the bake offs coming!

Just in time for the holidays, here’s a gingerbread coffee cake! After testing nine recipes in the coffee cake bake off, I couldn’t stop thinking about the fragrant brown butter streusel and perfectly tight, yet fluffy crumb of Edd Kimber’s sour cream coffee cake.

This recipe was really an excuse to make it again, but altered slightly for more holiday flair. Here, we build on the dense but rich sour cream-enriched crumb with a few new ingredients:

• Brown sugar: for more moisture and a darker flavor profile
• Molasses: the base layer of gingerbread flavor; provides additional moisture and sweetness
• Cinnamon, ginger and cloves: to round out the gingerbread profile

I basically lived off of FAGE Greek yogurt when I went through a short-lived lifting phase post-college (trying to hit my daily protein macros while on a mostly vegetarian diet was tricky), so I was excited to see one of the newest releases from the FAGE family: FAGE Sour Cream! So rich and so creamy, FAGE Sour Cream is all-natural, Non-GMO Project Verified, and made with simple ingredients. It adds just the right amount of tang to highlight the sweetness of the coffee cake. To find where FAGE Sour Cream is sold near you, try this locator!

I tried two slightly different versions of this gingerbread coffee cake. Friends were split between which one they liked better, so I’m offering you both renditions!

BAKING NOTES

Option 1: For a more subtle, spiced gingerbread coffee cake that leans slightly fluffier and drier (meaning it pairs exceptionally well with coffee), use 1/4 cup of molasses and the lower amount of spices. Personally, this is the version that I prefer (pictured above).

Option 2: For a more molasses-forward gingerbread cake with a vibrant, moist, slightly denser crumb, increase the molasses to 1/2 cup and higher amount of spices to compensate. This is the version some of my friends preferred for the richer, moister crumb (pictured below).

To really gild the lily, you can mix up a spoonful of FAGE Sour Cream with some powdered sugar, cinnamon and ginger and top each slice before serving. It’s kind of like the decadence of a cream cheese frosted gingerbread cake minus the work of actually making frosting!

Find FAGE Sour Cream in your local grocery store!

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5 from 2 votes

Gingerbread Coffee Cake

Ingredients

For the brown butter crumb

• 8 tbsp unsalted butter (113 grams)
• 1.25 cups all-purpose flour (163 grams)
• 1/2 cup sugar (99 grams)
• 1/2 tsp kosher salt

For the gingerbread cake

• 8 tbsp unsalted butter (113 grams), room temperature
• 1 cup brown sugar (213 grams)
• 1.75 cups all-purpose flour (228 grams)
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 3/4 tsp kosher salt
• 1.5-2 tsp cinnamon (see baking notes)
• 1.5-2 tsp ginger (see baking notes)
• 1/4 tsp cloves
• 2 large eggs (100 grams), room temperature
• 1/4 cup molasses (60 grams) – 1/2 cup molasses (120 grams) (see baking notes)
• 3/4 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup FAGE Sour Cream (4 oz)

Instructions

For the brown butter streusel

• Cut the butter into 8 pieces and place in a small saucepan over medium heat. Let melt, stirring occasionally, until butter starts to foam and brown. Let cook until butter smells nutty and has flecks of golden brown.
• Meanwhile, combine the flour, sugar and salt. Once butter is browned, pour in the butter and use a fork or spatula to combine with the dry ingredients until clumps form–you want a mixture of large and small crumbs. Place bowl in the freezer while you make the coffee cake.

Make the gingerbread cake

• Grease a 9×9 pan and preheat oven to 350 degrees.

  Cream the butter and brown sugar together on medium speed for 5 minutes until very light and fluffy. Meanwhile, combine the flour, baking powder, salt and spices.
• Add the eggs one at a time, beating until fully incorporated after each. Beat in the molasses and vanilla.
• Add the flour in three additions, alternating with the sour cream. Start and finish with the flour.
• Add about half the batter to the prepared pan and sprinkle a few handfuls of streusel evenly over the top. Dollop the remaining batter evenly over the top of the streusel and use a spatula to smooth out the batter before sprinkling the remaining streusel on top.
• Bake for 45-55 minutes or until a skewer inserted in the center comes out clean. Let cool in pan for 10-15 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool completely.

Notes

Adapted from Edd Kimber’s coffee cake from One Tin Bakes.

Option 1: For a more subtle, spiced coffee cake that leans slightly fluffier and drier (meaning it pairs exceptionally well with coffee), use 1/4 cup of molasses and the lower amount of spices. 

Option 2: For a more molasses-forward cake with a vibrant, moist, slightly denser crumb, increase the molasses to 1/2 cup and use the higher amount of spices. 

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