Sour Cream Coffee Cake

I saw a coffee cake recipe in the March (2010) issue of Cooking Light that looked irresistible, so I decided to try it.  The recipe calls for old fashioned oats that have been toasted (baked in the oven for 6 minutes) and processed to flour like consistency in a food processor. 


Normally, I would have left these two steps out, but I decided to be good and follow the recipe.  When I make this again, I will definitely leave out the toasting part (I don't think it made any difference), but the processing part was a vital step.  It enabled the coffee cake to have a soft texture.

Also, I left out the nuts.  I just cannot stand nuts in baked goods. Yuck!
Here is the recipe from Cooking Light magazine.  It is delicious and well worth the extra steps.




Sour Cream Coffee Cake, Cooking Light (March 2010)

Yield: 10 servings (serving size: 1 piece)

Ingredients
3/4 cup old-fashioned rolled oats (about 2.5 ounces), divided
Cooking spray
4.5 ounces all-purpose flour (about 1 cup)
1 ounce whole-wheat flour (about 1/4 cup)
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup packed brown sugar, divided
1/3 cup butter, softened
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 (8-ounce) carton light sour cream (such as Daisy)
2 tablespoons finely chopped walnuts, toasted
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 tablespoon chilled butter, cut into small pieces




Preparation
1. Preheat oven to 350°.
2. Spread oats in a single layer on a baking sheet. Bake at 350° for 6 minutes or until oats are barely fragrant and light brown.
3. Coat a 9-inch springform pan with cooking spray; set aside.
4. Reserve 1/4 cup oats; set aside. Place remaining oats in a food processor; process 4 seconds or until finely ground. Weigh or lightly spoon flours into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine processed oats, flours, baking powder, baking soda, and salt; stir with a whisk.
5. Place granulated sugar, 1/4 cup brown sugar, and 1/3 cup butter in a large bowl. Beat with a mixer at medium speed for 3 minutes or until light and fluffy. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in vanilla. Add flour mixture to sugar mixture alternately with sour cream, beginning and ending with flour mixture. (Batter will be slightly lumpy because of oats.) Spoon batter into prepared pan; spread evenly.
6. Combine remaining 1/4 cup oats, remaining 1/4 cup brown sugar, nuts, and cinnamon in a bowl. Cut in 1 tablespoon butter with a pastry blender or 2 knives until well blended. Sprinkle top of batter evenly with nut mixture. Bake at 350° for 38 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean, top is golden, and cake begins to pull away from sides of pan. Cool cake in pan for 10 minutes; remove from pan.