It is a rainy day in good old Plattsburgh, the kind of day I just love. It is the sort of day where you curl up with a good book, a cup of tea, and a slice of coffee cake. I have to work today, so there will be no books for me, but I did enjoy a slice of my delicious coffee cake with a cup of my favorite tea, Irish Breakfast.

The Moistest Coffee Cake on the Planet

(Easily veganized by replacing margarine and oil.)

Cake:

1 ½ cup unbleached flour
¾ cup turbinado sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon cinnamon,
1 teaspoon of nutmeg
Dash of sea salt
¼ cup butter or margarine (this is about 4 and ½ tablespoons)
¼ cup applesauce
½ cup vanilla rice milk

Crumbly topping:

Mix the following together in a small bowl and set aside-
¼ cup brown sugar
1 tablespoon of unbleached flour
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon of nutmeg
2 tablespoons melted butter or margarine
½ cup broken nuts (optional)

Pre heat your oven to 375 degrees. Mix melted butter or margarine, applesauce, rice milk, and vanilla together in a bowl. In another bowl, combine the dry ingredients. Next, add the dry ingredients to the wet mixture, mixing well. Pour the mixture into a well-greased pan and sprinkle with the crumbly topping. Bake at 375 for 30-40 minutes, depending on your oven size. Check the center with a toothpick after 25 minutes to see how well done the center is. If it comes out clean, you are all set.

I have made this cake dozens of times since the original recipe was passed down to me. However, I have tweaked this cake so many times, it hardly looks like the recipe I was given so long ago.

Here are some adjustments you can make for this cake:

-Use organic oatmeal in place of the chopped nuts in the crumbly topping.
-Use the same measure oil instead of butter or margarine while making the cake. Vegetable oil works well and a light olive oil also works. However, you have to use melted margarine while making the crumbly topping.
-Mix a ½ cup of chopped nuts in the batter.
-Halve the batter and sprinkle some of the crumbly topping between the two layers.

Have a great day and keep cooking! The next time we meet, I will show you how to make a quick salad that uses up the massive basil crop from your garden!