Cousin Marie’s Old Fashioned Coffee Cake With Caramel Topping

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This easy to make coffee cake with caramel topping has a dense, pound cake like texture. 

A rich, buttery pound cake, topped with brown sugar, cinnamon, chopped walnuts blended into a smooth, creamy caramel sauce that actually sinks through the batter and bakes into the cake. 

Yes it does.

And of course we have extra caramel topping because you can never have too much sweetness.  Am I right? 

Follow my recipe below, and your family will drift out of bed this weekend, and be drawn to the kitchen like a magnet. 

And you can be already sitting there, cool and relaxed with the coffee made, and enjoying your own generous slice of this amazing coffee cake. 

Cousin Marie was a brilliant baker, it kind of runs in the family. LOL.  You can do it too!

This post was originally published August 23, 2015 and updated on June 10, 2018.  

You will need….flour, white sugar, half and half cream, cream cheese, brown sugar, cinnamon, walnuts, caramel topping, unsalted butter, egg and vanilla.  And my recipe for Homemade Caramel Topping! 

OLD FASHIONED COFFEE CAKE WITH CARAMEL TOPPING BACKSTORY

My grandmother was a good cook, but she really excelled at baking and loved to share her skills with the family, like my Cousin Marie!  One of the best memories I have is smelling her coffee cake baking in the oven.The aromas of brown sugar, and cinnamon coming from the kitchen were almost too much to wait for sometimes!  This easy coffee cake recipe recreates that memory for me every time.  The original recipe actually comes from another family member, my Dad’s cousin Marie.  She was also a spectacular cook and a lovely woman.  I have fond memories.. 🙂

I’ve wanted to bake this recipe for some time now, and I’ve added a few updates of my own- but only to make it easier and quicker to make!  This is not a yeast coffee cake – but has more of a pound cake texture – full of creamy goodness like cream cheese and butter.   Yummmmm…..

So here it is!  I use my food processor to blend the dry ingredients and the cream cheese and butter.  I love using my food processor and am learning to use it more and more in my baking.

We recently had our son Adam, and his girlfriend Adrienne over for brunch.  I had just purchased a new kitchen island for our tiny apartment — so that I would have a lovely new space to bake on and to make videos!  Of course it’s one of those “build it yourself’ project and was just to heavy for Mark and I to carry up the three flights of stairs.

So while everyone was busy with bringing all the pieces upstairs from the garage, I got busy baking this scrumptious coffee cake.  I love it because it’s so easy to bake, and so delicious, it’s a hit every time.  Adam says it’s his favorite kind of cake!

One of the great things about this recipe is that there are no fancy ingredients.  You will probably have all of this in your baker’s pantry – except maybe for the cream cheese.

TIPS FOR A PERFECT COFFEE CAKE WITH CARAMEL TOPPING

1. Mix the the topping ingredients really well
2. Follow the recipe instructions exactly.
3. In food processor add dry ingredients, baking powder, flour, white sugar, salt, and pulse until blended
4. Cut softened cream cheese and butter into chunks and add to food processor and pulse until blended. The mixture will stick together if pressed in your hand.
5. Put the mixture from the food processor into a large bowl.  Make a well in the centre and add the cream, vanilla, and egg.  Break the egg yolk and blend slowly, just until everything is moistened.  Like when you are making muffins.
6. Press the cake mixture into the plan
7. Add small chunks of cream cheese around the top – I push them in slightly with my finger!
8. Spoon on the brown sugar topping (this will sink into the cake as it bakes)
9. Let cool and Enjoy with a smoky dark coffee.

YOU MAY NEED….

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Thanks so much for being a part of You Can Live Rich On Less/Pie Lady Bakes!

This 8 x 8 baking pan is the perfect size, and I love Wilton baking pans.  So reliable and they last for years!

YOU MAY ALSO LIKE…

Our Apple Pie Coffee Cake is Love in a Pan!  A delicious apple pie topping, and lots and lots of icing. 🙂

I swirl caramel topping and a light icing sugar glaze over the cake once it’s cool.  It looks pretty and makes the cake taste even sweeter!

Related: I’ve written another blog about making pastry with a food processor – you can see it here!

COUSIN MARIE’S COFFEE CAKE WITH CARAMEL TOPPING

This coffee cake is just so good.  The caramel topping gives it that extra zing, if you know what I mean! Perfect with coffee for breakfast, and I often make it for a dessert.  If you’re feeding a crowd, need something quick and easy for a potluck, just double the recipe and use a 13×9 pan. Be sure to make lots of caramel sauce and take a little jar with you as a gift if you are visiting friends.  Homemade food gifts are the very best!

If you like the recipe, please give it a 5 star rating.

xo, Judy

Cousin Marie's Old Fashioned Coffee Cake with Caramel Topping

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Judy

A light, moist and richly delicious coffee cake that is perfect for Brunch, Breakfast or any ole time at all. 

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Prep Time 15 minutes mins

Cook Time 25 minutes mins

Total Time 40 minutes mins

Course Dessert

Cuisine North American

Servings 9

Ingredients

  

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Topping:

• ▢ 4 tbsp. butter - melted
• ▢ 1 cup dark brown sugar
• ▢ 1 cup walnuts - chopped
• ▢ 2 tsp. ground cinnamon

Coffee cake:

• ▢ 3 tsp. baking powder
• ▢ 2/3 cup white sugar
• ▢ 1 ¾ white flour
• ▢ ½ tsp. salt
• ▢ 4 oz. cream cheese - plain
• ▢ 1/3 cup unsalted butter
• ▢ 1 cup half and half cream
• ▢ 1 egg
• ▢ ½ tsp. vanilla

Instructions

 

• Mix the brown sugar, cinnamon and melted butter well
• Stir in chopped walnuts and set aside
• In food processor add dry ingredients, baking powder, flour, white sugar, salt, and pulse until blended
• Cut softened cream cheese and butter into chunks and add to food processor and pulse until blended. The mixture will stick together if pressed in your hand.
• Put the mixture from the food processor into a large bowl.  Make a well in the centre and add the cream, vanilla, and egg.  Break the egg yolk and blend slowly, just until everything is moistened.  Like when you are making muffins.
• Preheat the oven to 375 and grease and 8 X 8 square pan.
• Press the cake mixture into the plan
• Add small chunks of cream cheese around the top – I push them in slightly with my finger!
• Spoon on the brown sugar topping (this will sink into the cake as it bakes)
• Bake for 30 to 35 minutes.
• Let cool and Enjoy with a smoky dark coffee.

These are estimated values generated from a nutritional database using unbranded products. Please do your own research with the products you're using if you have a serious health issue or are following a specific diet.

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Oh and here is my new kitchen island!  What is your favourite place to bake?

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Judy Kahansky

Judy Kahansky is an experienced writer and baker, creating delicious desserts (including pie!) for over 40 years. She loves to take classic and vintage recipes and update them to fit the busy lives of her readers. When not baking, Judy and her husband Mark are passionate golfers, travelers and dog lovers, spending as much time as they can with their sweet pup Millie.