Classic Buttermilk Coffee Cake

A day of random facts! I wish I was a redhead. I hate heat, and tend to get cranky past 80 degrees. The volume in my car must be set at an even number. I'm more than a little emotionally attached to my car stereo.  I can remember movie quotes and song lyrics like you would not believe, but forget doctor's appointments all the time. The furthest out of the country I've been is a few hours past the border into Mexico, with my best friend and her family when I was eight. All I remember is cold fish tacos *shudder* and olive trees. I will never speak in hashtags. If presented with all the clothing colors of the rainbow, I will usually pick dark red, charcoal, or lavender. Occasionally forest green. I will never wear mint or coral. I could watch The Avengers over and over and over and over and over... Running horses make me cry. I used to always have my fingernails painted, often with awesome, intricate designs, but now I never do. It feels weird. I am really really lousy at ALL sports, except swimming. I occasionally (okay fine, often) act like a 4 year old. The cute kind, not the infuriating kind. AND! I love coffee cake. :)

Classic Buttermilk Coffee Cake (adapted slightly from Alexandra's Kitchen)
Printable Recipe

FOR THE CAKE:
6 Tb butter, softened
slightly heaping 3/4 cup sugar

1 1/2 cups flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 egg

1 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup + 2 Tb buttermilk

FOR THE TOPPING:
6 Tb butter, softened
1/4 cup + 2 Tb flour
3/4 cup brown sugar, lightly filled, not packed
1 Tb cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350ºF. Grease an 8 or 9-inch square pan with butter.

Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder and salt. Add egg and vanilla to butter and sugar mixture. Mix on low until combined. Add half of the dry ingredients. Mix until incorporated. Add all of the buttermilk. Mix until incorporated. Add remaining flour and mix until just combined. Spread batter into prepared pan.

Meanwhile, make the topping: Combine all ingredients in a large bowl. Use a pastry cutter or your hands to mix everything nicely together, all lumpy. (Unless you add way too much flour, then it will be a bit more crumbly, like mine! Oops!) Spread topping over batter. Bake for 40 to 45 minutes or until no longer jiggly. Let cool on wire rack for 10 minutes before serving.

Yep, if you add the right amount of flour, you will have perfect, melty-crunchy lumps of streusel, not a layer of crumbly streusel. Still tasted good though! And yummy enough to merit showing even in it's imperfect form. 

Because the cake part is perfect!! Shall I oo and ahh over the wonder that is buttermilk yet again? Is it necessary?? I think you know my feelings about it by now. This cake is delicious, soft and fluffy, just dense enough and barely moist with fabulous vanilla cake flavor. Mmmm...

But the streusel really is good too, I promise!! The boys loved this cake, I made it for their first day of school and we had leftovers the next day. A simple, scrumptious, classic!