For those of you who may be thinking this first post of the new year is nothing more than a wicked attempt at tempting you to already break your new year's resolution of eating healthier foods, like adding more fruits and nuts to your diet, you would be wrong. Because this Browned Butter Hummingbird Coffee Cake with Mascarpone Glaze is made with bananas, pineapple, and pecans. In other words, it's a cake made with fruit and nuts. My definition of a win-win, glass half full recipe! Have I told you lately that seeing possibility where others see improbability (aka rationalizing) is one of my strengths? Or my belief that life shouldn't be about deprivation but rather moderation? As much as I can be a little redundant with my musings here on the blog, sometimes a little redundancy is a good thing. Really it is.
There were many reasons why I wanted to make this Browned Butter Hummingbird Coffee Cake with Mascarpone Glaze. Was it because I was in need of a great, new coffee cake recipe, because anything with the words hummingbird cake in the title immediately gets my attention, or because I needed a bribe to get the person who shall remain nameless to take up all of the cumbersome, heavy holiday boxes up to the attic? The answer? All of the above.
While one of my last year's intentions was to reduce the number of cookbooks and cooking magazines I buy, I couldn't resist buying the January/February 2017 issue of '
bake from Scratch'. Even the long checkout line at the bookstore couldn't deter me from buying it. Filled with a number of recipes just begging me to make them, the Browned Butter Hummingbird Coffee Cake seemed to tug a little harder at my heartstrings. Add the words browned butter to a recipe and well, suddenly I find myself on a nothing will get in my way mission.
As with most recipes I come across, I either leave them alone or feel compelled to tinker with them just a teeny tiny bit. Whenever I make any changes it sort of feels I have given myself permission to color outside of the lines, to break some rules, to take a leap of faith. In other words, it's what being a little radical looks like in my world. To be perfectly honest, the recipe for the Browned Butter Hummingbird Coffee Cake was just about perfect. Toasting the pecans before adding them to the streusel was a minor nuance. Changing out the sour cream based glaze for the mascarpone glaze would be one of those changes falling into the category of personal preferences. And making this coffee cake in a springform pan instead of cake pan (9 inch instead of 8 inch) was nothing more than a convenience.
What can be better than a coffee cake topped with a butter, brown sugar, cinnamon, sugar, pecan streusel? One having some of it inside of it! If you are looking to amplify the flavor of the streusel, toast the pecans in a preheated 350 degree (F) oven for 8 to 9 minutes. I promise, you won't be sorry for this tiny extra step.
The browned butter is the not-so secret transformational ingredient taking this Hummingbird Coffee Cake to a whole new level of nutty deliciousness and a deeper complexity. When butter has melted to the point where the water has been cooked out, the remaining milk solids begin to brown and take on a nutty flavor. Make sure to scrape out all of the little brown bits into your batter as they hold incredible flavor.
After spreading half of the coffee cake batter in the pan, top with both the cinnamon sugar mixture and one-third of the streusel mixture. Top with the rest of the batter, smooth out with an offset spatula and finish off with the remaining streusel before putting the coffee cake in a preheated 350 degree (F) oven.
Instead of using an 8 inch cake pan, this Browned Butter Hummingbird Coffee Cake was made in a 9 inch springform pan (lined with parchment paper). In spite of changing out the size of the cake pan, there was no significant change to the baking time (45-50 minutes).
Hummingbird Cakes are traditionally topped with a cream cheese frosting. This coffee cake version is topped with a mascarpone glaze.
Allow the coffee cake to rest at least 15 minutes before pouring on the glaze.
Imagine starting your day with a warm coffee cake. But whether you serve it warm or at room temperature, this may be the best coffee cake on the planet.
Full of intense flavor, this Browned Butter Hummingbird Coffee Cake is incredibly moist. The Mascarpone Glaze adds a hint of sweetness and is a perfect finishing touch. So if you are committed to adding more fruits and nuts to your diet in the weeks, month and year ahead, I would venture to say this cake would help you keep that promise, resolution, intention. And, if by chance you need to offer a small bribe, this coffee cake may get you more than you even hoped for. Happy New Year!
Recipe
Browned Butter Hummingbird Coffee Cake with Mascarpone Glaze (slight adaptation to the Browned Butter Hummingbird Coffee Cake recipe printed in the Jan/Feb 2017 Issue of Bake from Scratch)
Serves 8-12, depending on how you slice it
Ingredients
Streusel
1/3 cup (43g) all-purpose flour
1/4 cup (50g) light brown sugar, firmly packed
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
3 1/2 (50g) Tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
1/2 cup pecan halves, toasted and chopped
Cake
1/2 cup (113g) unsalted butter, room temperature
2 large eggs, room temperature
1/2 cup mashed banana (from 1 large ripe banana or 2 smaller ripe bananas)
1/2 cup crushed pineapple, drained
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 1/2 cups (195g) all-purpose flour
3/4 cup (150g) plus 1 Tablespoon granulated sugar, divided
1/4 cup (50g) light brown sugar, firmly packed
3/4 teaspoon Kosher salt
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon cinnamon, divided
Optional: Pecan halves for finishing the top of the coffee cake
Glaze
1/2 cup (60g) confectionary sugar, sifted
2 Tablespoons mascarpone cheese, softened
2-3 Tablespoons whole milk
Directions
Streusel
1. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, and salt.
2. Stir in butter, mixing until the mixture is crumbly. Note: Use fingertips until desired consistency is reached.
3. Stir in chopped, toasted pecans. Cover and set aside.
Glaze
1. In a small bowl, whisk together the sifted confectionary sugar, mascarpone cheese and 2 Tablespoons of the whole milk until creamy and pourable. If mixture to thick, add milk 1 teaspoon at a time.
Cake
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees (F). Line a 9 inch springform or baking pan with parchment paper. Spray with baking spray and lightly flour. Set aside.
2. In a medium, heavy bottomed saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Cook until butter turns a medium-brown color and has a nutty aroma. Approximately 8-10 minutes. Remove from heat and cool to room temperature.
3. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, 3/4 cup granulated sugar, brown sugar, salt, baking powder and 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon. Set aside.
4. In the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat eggs, mashed banana, drained pineapple, and vanilla at medium speed until combined. Approximately 1-2 minutes.
5. Stir in cooled browned butter. Scrape the browned bits into the batter.
6. Gradually add flour mixture to the batter, beating until just combined.
7. In a small bowl, mix tother the remaining 1 Tablespoon granulated sugar and remaining 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon. Set aside.
8. Spread half of the batter into the prepared cake pan.
9. Sprinkle with the cinnamon sugar and 1/3 of the streusel mixture.
10. Top with remaining cake batter. Smoothing top with an offset spatula.
11. Evenly sprinkle the remaining streusel over the cake batter.
12. Bake for 45-50 minutes or until cake tested with a toothpick comes out clean. Remove from oven and let cake rest for 15 minutes.
13. Run a sharp knife around the edges. Open latch on springform pan and/or invert cake onto a plate and invert again, placing cake on a wire rack.
14. Drizzle glaze over warm cake. Optional: Top with pecan halves.
Notes: (1) The inspiration recipe recommended a sour cream based glaze (one half cup confectionary sugar, two Tablespoons sour cream, 1 1/2 teaspoons whole milk). (2) If using an 8 inch cake pan, baking time may need to be adjusted slightly, but would recommend checking for doneness at 45 minutes. (3) Be sure to drain the crushed pineapple before adding to the batter.
Lower Dells falls at Matthiessen State Park, Ogelsby, Illinois (January 2017)
