This coffee cake recipe is very straightforward, and can be found in the Recipe Box. Where it came from originally, I do not know; a friend of my mom's gave it to her, and she gave it to me. Maybe the friend made it up? As she called it 'German Coffee Cake', however, and not something like 'Great Granny's Coffee Cake', I suspect it probably came out of a magazine or cookbook. The original recipe (as I received it) recommends a 1/2 cup butter and a 1/2 cup margarine. I think that there might be some idea (or fact, who knows? clearly not me) that margarine makes for a moister cake than butter does, because it is a hydrogenated oil and oil (liquid at room temperature) can at least lend the impression of a wetter cake because it's never a solid. Margarine is a solid though, and I don't think it makes any difference. I used one full cup of butter. Yayyyy butter!
One thing that separates this coffee cake from the pack is its use of cocoa powder. Lots of cakes use cocoa powder, it's true, but this is the first one I've met that just tosses it on top and throws it in the oven - no muss no fuss! I was fairly concerned it was going to burn up there, exposed to the elements, but it didn't; it made a nice semi-chewy crust. It also had a layer inside which sank to the bottom a bit, not sure why (I did run a toothpick through it to catch bubbles - that might have done it), but that was almost the best layer, the part you want to make sure of having in the last bite. Mmmm...
It looked lovely in the oven (and I should know: I checked it six thousand times expecting it to be burnt):
And yeah, I admit to sneaking a bite or two before breakfast.
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