Madrinha’s Coffee Cake
By Carrie Tarvis Martin (my grandmother Duarte’s godmother)
This is the coffee cake I grew up eating at my grandmother Duarte's house. I can still remember the smell of cinnamon, coconut and toasted walnuts as she took the cake out of the oven to place on the breakfast table. We often ate it still warm. It's so simple, light and satisfying. It was created by my grandmother's madrinha (godmother), my great-great aunt and lends itself to creativity. Feel free to substitute different types of sugars, flours, oils, spices or nuts to create your own unique version.
The mixing instructions are slightly unusual and fun so be sure to read through the recipe before beginning. I've included photos of the original recipe below.
Group 1:
200 grams (1 cup) brown sugar
150 grams (3/4 cup) sugar
1 tsp ground cinnamon
338 grams (2 1/2 cups) bleached all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp fine sea salt
168 grams (3/4 cup) oil (such as a neutral oil or coconut or olive)
Group 2:
100 grams (2 large) eggs
242 grams (1 cup) whole milk (or coconut milk for a dairy free version)
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
Topping:
30 grams (1/2 cup) unsweetened dried coconut (I love to use wide flake)
63 grams (1/2 cup) roughly chopped nuts (such as walnuts or almonds)
By Carrie Tarvis Martin (my grandmother Duarte’s godmother)
This is the coffee cake I grew up eating at my grandmother Duarte's house. I can still remember the smell of cinnamon, coconut and toasted walnuts as she took the cake out of the oven to place on the breakfast table. We often ate it still warm. It's so simple, light and satisfying. It was created by my grandmother's madrinha (godmother), my great-great aunt and lends itself to creativity. Feel free to substitute different types of sugars, flours, oils, spices or nuts to create your own unique version.
The mixing instructions are slightly unusual and fun so be sure to read through the recipe before beginning. I've included photos of the original recipe below.
Group 1:
200 grams (1 cup) brown sugar
150 grams (3/4 cup) sugar
1 tsp ground cinnamon
338 grams (2 1/2 cups) bleached all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp fine sea salt
168 grams (3/4 cup) oil (such as a neutral oil or coconut or olive)
Group 2:
100 grams (2 large) eggs
242 grams (1 cup) whole milk (or coconut milk for a dairy free version)
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
Topping:
30 grams (1/2 cup) unsweetened dried coconut (I love to use wide flake)
63 grams (1/2 cup) roughly chopped nuts (such as walnuts or almonds)
- Preheat oven to 350F. Place oven rack in the center position.
- Line the base of a 9 by 13 inch metal baking pan with parchment and grease the sides.
- In a medium bowl mix all of the Group 1 ingredients with a wooden spoon or rubber spatula until combined. The mixture will be thick and crumbly. Remove 1 cup and set aside.
- Add the Group 2 ingredients to the remainder of Group 1and mix until combined using a whisk. Place this mixture into the prepared pan.
- Mix the reserved cup of group 1 ingredients with the topping ingredients. Sprinkle evenly over the batter.
- Bake for 30 to 40 minutes or until a tooth pick comes out clean.