Fond Memories of Coffee Cake

Perhaps it’s the whole notion of Sunday Supper and that walk down memory lane of things that once were that has me dreaming of Coffee Cake. And not just any Coffee Cake, but that first one.

When I was a young girl, I can remember coming home from school and finding that half the ladies in our neighborhood were gathered round our kitchen table. Mom had put on a pot of coffee, someone had made a cake for the ladies and there they all were – talking up a storm, all at the same time. It made me dizzy just to be in the same room with them, and yet I found them all so fascinating.

I remember one woman in particular, we’ll call her Mrs. G. She was a big, big women. Granted, my mom was tiny, but Mrs. G was big even when compared to most men. She must have been close to six-feet tall, with a build like a football player. She was loud and I do mean really, really loud. I knew Mrs. G had come a calling even before I reached the front door of our house, I could hear her booming voice from down the street. She always made the same Coffee Cake, with a trusted recipe found right there on the side of a box of Bisquick. Growing up, I thought Bisquick was magical. You could whip up pancakes, or waffles or biscuits or cakes. Why you could even bake up an All-American Deep Dish Apple Pie. It was the go-to mix in every American kitchen from sea to shining sea.

I dreamed of the day when I would have my own kitchen, and my own collection of cackling friends gathered round the kitchen table, drinking coffee and eating a cake made from Bisquick. By the time I had my own kitchen, women were burning their bras and God only knows what else. We were tossing the stove out the window and marching down Main Street. No more coffee circles filled with stay-at-home wives and mothers. It was a social event never to be seen again.

Heck, most of us these days don’t even brew our own coffee. It comes from Starbucks or some other establishment where you can order a ridiculously named cup of Joe and a gluten-free fat-free-sugar-free pastry to go with it.

Every now and then, I’ll whip up a Bisquick Coffee Cake, even if I’m the only one sitting down with a fresh cup of coffee and a slice of cake.

Cinnamon Streusel Coffee Cake
Cinnamon Streusel
1/3 cup Original Bisquick Mix
1/3 cup packed Brown Sugar
1/2 teaspoon Ground Cinnamon
2 tablespoons firm Butter

Heat oven to 375 degrees. Grease 9-inch round pan. Set aside until ready to use.

In small bowl, combine the Bisquick mix, brown sugar, cinnamon and very cold bits of butter until crumbly; set aside.

Coffee Cake
2 cups Original Bisquick Mix
2 tablespoons Sugar
2/3 cup Milk
1 Egg

In medium bowl, mix Bisquick, and sugar. Create a well in the Bisquick mixture. In a two-cup glass measuring cup, measure milk, then add an egg. Whisk egg into the milk to blend. Pour milk mixture into the well in the dry ingredients. Gently fold to create the batter. Spread coffee cake batter in the prepared pan. Sprinkle with streusel.

Bake in the heated oven for 18 to 22 minutes or until golden brown.

Serve warm with plenty of coffee!

Author: Rosemarie's Kitchen

I'm a wife, mother, grandmother and avid home cook.I believe in eating healthy whenever possible, while still managing to indulge in life's pleasures. View all posts by Rosemarie's Kitchen