Copycat Drake’s Coffee Cake Juniors

Okay, so we are still brushing the matza crumbs off our laps, I know, but the flour, bread and other non-Passover goodies calls out to us. So I decided to post an old old fave of mine which is a copycat version of coffee cake juniors made by Drake’s that were these adorable little coffee cakes with a crumb topping that wasn’t on top of the little cake but sorta pressed into it. The crumbs were soft, not crispy and they were redolent of cinnamon. After making aliyah to Israel, I knew I’d eventually have to duplicate these since cravings would strike from time to time. So, I’m happy to say that I’m very pleased with my homemade version, with a lovely taste of cinnamon and soft pressed in crumbs. Perfect for that cuppa coffee or tea and thinking of great childhood moments.

Often I’ll make cakes/muffins non-dairy but really, these are so much yummier when dairy, you should go for it.

So preheat your oven to 350 F/180 C.

I start with the topping, make it in its own bowl and set it aside. So, mix together the sugar, flour, cinnamon (don’t skimp! it adds so much) and stir together and then I melt all the butter needed for the recipe in a bowl and scoop out just the amount you need for the topping, leaving the rest in the bowl for the cupcake base. So now add the two tablespoons of melted butter and vanilla to your topping.

Stir till crumbly like so:

Ah, the scent of cinnamon and vanilla, nothin’ like it! K set this aside. On to the cupcake batter. You mix together the dry ingredients, flour, baking powder, sugar and salt in a bowl and stir. If you can get real buttermilk it adds enormously to the texture but if not, simply add vinegar or lemon juice, 1 1/2 teaspoons to plain whole milk and allow to stand until it thickens and sours (if it looks a bit scary that’s actually correct, it can look a bit separated and curdle-y too) about 10-15 minutes. Then add the butter, buttermilk/curdled milk, vanilla and egg right into your bowl of dry mixed ingredients and stir from the bottom, scraping the sides as well as you go just till incorporated and no big pockets of flour remain but don’t overmix! It toughens them.

The smooth-ish batter. Small bits are fine.

Good. Now prepare your muffin tins by spraying with oil spray or using muffin papers, whichever you prefer. Fill the muffin cups a bit more than 1/2 full, remember you are leaving room for the crumb topping.

Then take about a teaspoon + of the topping, distributing evenly between the muffins and top the muffins with it, gently pressing down into batter, gently! That is, don’t sink them to the bottom, just make sure they don’t float on top. The point of this is that when gently pressed in, they come out as part of the batter as soft crumbs, not crispy topping that half falls off.

Now pop into the hot oven and bake for about 20 minutes or till top is golden and a wooden toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let cool on wire racks at least 10 minutes to allow muffins to set. Then if you can’t stand it since it smells so divine, gobble it up with a glass of milk, chocolate milk, coffee or tea.

Copycat Drake’s Coffee Cake Juniors

Topping
1/3 cup (67 grams) sugar
1/3 cup (45 grams) flour
A teaspoon and a half cinnamon
2 tablespoons (30 grams) butter/margarine, melted
1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Cupcake batter
11/4 cup (156 grams) flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
2/3 cup (134 grams) sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
2/3 cup (160 grams) buttermilk (alternatively, make a reasonable facsimile thereof, take 2/3 cup milk add 1 1/2 teaspoons vinegar or lemon juice let sit 10-15 minutes until curdled and soured looking. If it looks a bit scary, that’s correct)
1 egg
1/3 cup (75.6 grams) butter/marg, melted
1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 F/180 C.

Melt all the butter for the recipe (I zap it in a microwave) and you will remove 2 tablespoons for the crumb topping. In a medium bowl, place the dry ingredients for the topping, flour, sugar, cinnamon and stir together then add the 2 tablespoons butter and the 1/2 teaspoon vanilla. Mix with a fork or your fingers till crumbly and set aside.

Make the cupcake batter by mixing in another bowl the flour, baking powder, sugar, salt and stirring well and right in the bowl add the buttermilk, egg, melted butter and vanilla and stirring and scraping till combined and no big pockets of flour remain in the bowl. If you see small bits it’s fine. Take a 12 cup muffin pan and either oil spray it or place muffin papers in and evenly distribute the batter. Take the crumb topping and distribute evenly amongst the muffins and GENTLY press lightly into batter (not to sink it to the bottom, just enough that it will lightly meld into batter) and pop in the hot oven. Bake 20 minutes or till a wooden toothpick comes out clean. Let cool in muffin tin on rack for at least 10 minutes before dive bombing these little beauties.