Back to Baking

Since baking with sourdough is a much lengthier process, it lends itself to be a bit more forgiving if life falls apart and I can't get to dough for an extra 30 minutes or so.  This means my worries about over-proofing are significantly less and we can enjoy yummy baked goods without the extra anxiety time constraints can cause right now.

Cherry Sourdough Coffee Cake

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cup unbleached flour
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 3/4 cup butter
• 1/2 cup sourdough starter
• 1 egg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• cherry filling (can substitute canned pie filling)
• 1/3 cup quick cooking oats
• 1/4 cup packed brown sugar
• 1/4 cup chopped nuts
• 3 tablespoons unbleached flour

Directions

1. Mix the 1 1/2 cups flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and 1/4 teaspoon salt. 
2. Cut in 1/2 cup butter till mixture resembles fine crumbs. 
3. Mix Sourdough Starter, egg, and vanilla; add flour mixture. Stir just till moistened. (I had to add some water to my recipe.  I think this is because my sourdough isn't kept at 100% hydration, meaning it's a little bit drier/thicker than what the recipe wanted.) 
4. Spread half of the batter in a greased 9x9x2-inch baking pan. 
5. Spread Cherry Filling atop. 
6. Drop remaining batter in small mounds over filling. 
7. Mix oats, brown sugar, nuts, and 3 tablespoons flour. Cut in 1/4 cup butter till mixture resembles coarse crumbs; sprinkle over batter. 
8. Bake in a 350 degrees F oven for 35 - 40 minutes or till golden.

Cherry Filling:
Bring 1 1/2 cups fresh or frozen unsweetened pitted tart red cherries to boiling; reduce heat. Cover and simmer for 5 minutes. Stir in 1 tablespoon lemon juice. Combine 1/2 cup sugar and 2 tablespoons cornstarch; add to cherry mixture. Cook and stir till bubbly. Cook and stir 2 minutes more. Cool completely.

The Scoop -- My family (and myself as well) absolutely loved this recipe.  The coffee cake stayed nice and moist, more so than a "typical" coffee cake.  The spoon stayed in the pan for easy access to a serving -- we had the entire coffee cake gone within 24 hours.