Funeral Food: Streusel Coffee Cake
Streusel Coffee Cake is a recipe that feeds a crowd. Around these parts we call these dishes "funeral food."
You know what I mean.
Funeral food is food you make to feed a crowd that doesn't need much tending; it's the kind of dish you put out on a buffet table and forget about.
Comfort food. Food that's not particularly healthy (kind of ironic, right?), yet insanely delicious. Food that mutes your pain for a second or two and brings a bit of cheer in a bad situation.
Streusel Coffee Cake was made for that kind of moment. Or a great potluck or brunch. Versatile!
Husband's aunt made a pan of this coffee cake for a family function when I was just learning how to bake and it became my go-to for many occasions. My favorite way to eat it is right out of the oven with a giant scoop of vanilla ice cream. Oh, momma.
Even though I'm an experienced baker now, there are times I make this dish when I'm thinking about Husband's Aunt Jane. She was as unexpectedly delightful as this cake.
Ingredients
- 5 tbsp. butter
- 1 package yellow cake mix*
- 1 cup white flour
- 2 eggs
- 1 package dry yeast
- ⅔ cup warm water
- 2 tablespoon sugar
- 1 can fruit filling (if using apple or peach, add ½ teaspoon cinnamon to sugar)
- Glaze
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 1 tablespoon white corn syrup
- 1 tablespoon water
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375°
- Melt butter and cool.
- In a large mixing bowl combine 1 ½ cups dry cake mix (reserve remaining for streusel topping), yeast, flour, eggs and warm water. Beat 2 minutes at medium speed. Scrape bowl often.
- Spread dough in a greased 13x9 pan. Set aside.
- In a saucepan with cooled butter, combine reserved cake mix to make topping. Mixture will be crumbly. Set aside.
- Spoon pie filling evenly over dough in pan. Sprinkle with 2 tbsp. sugar (or sugar and cinnamon mixture).
- Sprinkle streusel topping over fruit.
- Bake @ 375° for 30 minutes.
- Glaze
- Combine sugar, syrup and water. Drizzle over warm cake.
- E-A-T!
Notes
* Always use a Deluxe Cake mix, never one with a pudding mix.
* Optional Glaze* Omit corn syrup and water. Substitute 1 tablespoon heavy cream. Add cream slowly to find the consistency you want.
Have guests in the house? Have folks in need of a some happiness? Don't have a funeral to attend or bake for, but now you're hungry?
Get to it, my babies.
Happy baking!
This looks amazing! I totally need to make this asap. Great dish.
YES!
Visiting from Our Sunday Best Showcase. I love streusel and coffee cake but your way of eating it with a scoop of ice cream sounds even more delicious than eating it on it's own. I co-host Sweet and Savoury Sunday and would love for you to stop by and share these and other recipes with us . Have a great day!
Thanks for the invite...and it is sooo good!
PINNED, and this looks amazing I love coffee cake!! I am having some friends for brunch and Mom makeovers tomorrow and I am so serving this! Checking this out from happiness is homemade and that is 100% true for this sweet dish 🙂
Cathy
Oooo, you're gonna love it! Thanks for the share!
Around here one thing at funerals is deviled eggs. And of course fried chicken. LOL I like to have a few "go to's " for these occasions I am going to add this to my repertoire. . I like things that will not spoil if they sit out. Therefore I don't do the eggs or the chicken. It is hard to come up with things that will be comforting, tasty and yet not have to worry about.
thanks
Yep, deviled eggs and fried chicken...great stand-bys. I'm like you, I want to take something with the least amount of fuss. This!
In New Jersey, it was Bundt cake. Whenever I saw the pan out, I would get worried and ask my mother who died!!! We would also send over a canned ham (baked with the cherries and pineapple) and deviled eggs.
When I lived in Mississippi, my then husband informed me that my neighbor's husband had passed. I made him stop at the next grocery store and picked up a canned ham, cherries, pineapple slices, and a dozen eggs.
While I was making his dinner, I was boiling my eggs to devil, had my ham in the oven, and was mixing up my Bundt cake.
I sent it all over with a nice card.
That was the day I became my mother..... LOL
Hahaha! That day comes for all of us! Thanks for the great story!