the best coffee cake ever.

I don't like to brag, but yesterday, I made the best coffee cake ever. Seriously, even my pickiest of eaters agreed it was the perfect blend of fluffy cake and delectable topping.

Yesterday was my husband's birthday. In our house, the birthday person gets the joy of picking their favorite meals and dessert on their special day. When I asked John what he'd like for dessert, I expected his typical responses - pumpkin pie or carrot cake (he seems partial to orange colored desserts!) He surprised me with a request for coffee cake! It'd been a while since I'd made one, but I agreed. Since surprises are hard to come by in our little home, the kids and I decided to make it for breakfast and have it ready with a cup of coffee when he woke up. We lit candles and sang to him, then everyone dug in! 

We stick to pretty simple breakfast fare here - protein and fruit. So coffee cake for breakfast before Church was a real treat! Since there was a unanimous agreement (among those that could have it!) that this was the best coffee cake ever, I thought I'd share the recipe!

Preheat your oven to 425. 
Check the oven to make sure you haven't left anything inside. I may or may not have personal experience with this....

Grease and flour a 9x13 pan.

In a large bowl mix together:
3 C Flour
1 Tbsp Baking Powder
2/3 C Sugar
1 tsp Salt
Using a pastry cutter (I love my Pampered Chef one!) cut in:
2/3 C shortening into mixture
I know a lot of recipes tell you it should look like small peas - but it doesn't. In fact, once cut in properly, it looks more like fluffy snow. Which is far more appealing than small peas!

In a separate bowl whisk:
1 1/2 C Milk
2 Eggs
1 tsp Vanilla

Stir wet ingredients into dry until just blended. Don't overmix, or your cake will be tough. No body likes tough cake. Scrape the bowl contents into your prepared pan.

In another bowl (sorry about all the dishes, but trust me, it's worth it!) mix:
5 Tbsp Melted Butter
1 C Brown Sugar
1/4 C Flour
2 tsp Cinnamon

Scoop this deliciousness out of the bowl with your hands and sprinkle it evenly over the top of your cake mixture. Do not try to use a spatula or spoon for this step. You will end up with clumps of deliciousness and open cake spaces. This is not what you want. 

Once evenly coated, pop the pan in the oven for 25 minutes or until a knife poked through the top comes out clean. Remove from oven and let rest 5 minutes - if you can stand the wait! 

Serve warm with strong, hot coffee. 
Enjoy the fruit of your labor - and compliments from your family.

Allow them to demonstrate their gratitude by letting them clean up the dishes while you enjoy a second piece. 

If you try it, I'd love to hear what your family thinks! Do you have a favorite breakfast treat? Share the recipe in the comments!