scent of cinnamon

Virtual Tea Party April 2021

The apartment is filled with the scent of cinnamon as Younger Daughter and I have been baking tray after tray of Cinnamon Walnut Streusel Yogurt cake.

It’s a mouthful to say, but we wanted the name of the bake to reflect all my favourite bits of the cake! Older Daughter suggested that we call it That Streusel Thingy for ease (and the most delicious part of the bake, obviously).

Also known as Coffee Cake, but this name confuses me – no coffee in the cake!

All this baking got me thinking about which local Singaporean cakes might contain cinnamon. I picked the 3 most likely kueh (local traditional cakes) for a taste test from Bengawan Solo.

From left, clockwise: Kueh Lapis (a butter-rich layer cake), Kueh Harum Manis (a pillowy, soft, “fragrant-sweet” banana topped cake) , Kueh Lapis Sagu (sticky, chewy, rainbow-coloured sago layer cake)

I’m afraid only the Kueh Lapis contained cinnamon. But they were all fun to eat.

Which ones of these delectables may I offer you?

We are very pleased with our traybake which we adapted from LittleSpoonFarm. It does call for sourdough discard, so perhaps not so versatile for those who don’t cultivate a sourdough starter.

Recipe for That Streusel Thingy (cinnamon-walnut-streusel-yogurt cake)

Streusel Topping

• 56g butter (melted)
• 80g (original recipe asked for 110 g) light brown sugar
• 60g all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 120g chopped walnuts (original suggested pecans as an option)

1. Melt the butter in a bowl.
2. Stir in the light brown sugar and cinnamon until smooth. 
3. Add the flour and walnuts and stir until the mixture comes together into a mass. 
4. Set it aside and let it cool.

Cinnamon Sugar Filling

• 50g (original called for 73 g) light brown sugar
• 40g all purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1. Stir the cinnamon, flour and light brown sugar together in a small bowl.
2. Set aside.

Sourdough Cake Batter

• 113g butter (softened)
• 140g brown sugar (original recipe asked for110g ilght brown sugar and 100g granulated sugar)
• 2 large eggs
• 2 teaspoons (10 g) vanilla extract
• 115g Greek yogurt (recipe called for sour cream)
• 125g) sourdough starter discard
• 1 cup (240 g) buttermilk
• 1 teaspoon (5 g) fine sea salt
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 240g all-purpose flour

1. Preheat your oven to 180°C.
2. Lightly grease or line n 9″ x 9″ metal baking pan.
3. In a large mixing bowl, cream the butter, light brown sugar until smooth. 
4. Add the eggs, vanilla extract, sour cream, sourdough starter, milk, salt and baking powder to the bowl and stir until just combined. 
5. Add the flour and mix until ingredients are fully incorporated.
6. Pour half of the cake batter into the baking dish. 
7. Sprinkle the cinnamon sugar mixture evenly across the surface of the batter.
8. Carefully pour the remaining batter over the cinnamon sugar mixture to cover. 
9. Use a spatula to gently spread the batter evenly. 
10. Break up the streusel topping with your fingers and sprinkle evenly over the top.
11. Bake for 40-45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.

Notes

• Leftovers can be stored at room temperature in a container for up to 2 days or refrigerated for up to a week.
• To freeze leftovers, let the cake cool completely and wrap individual squares with plastic wrap. Place the wrapped squares in a freezer-safe container for up to 3 months.

This post is my contribution to

• Virtual Tea Party hosted by Su at zimmerbitch
• Becky’s Squares hosted by Becky at LifeOfB
• Friday’s Foods of the World hosted by Cadyluckleedy at ThatTravelLadyInHerShoes