Tuesday 17 November 2015

Tasha Tudor, Tuesday, and Yoghurt Streusel Coffee Cake

Gentle Reader ~~~ I am a follower of Tasha Tudor and for those of you who do not know of this remarkable lady, you can find out more here.  I know many of you who read my ramblings know much more about Tasha than I do and for those who want to read more, do pop over to read the web journal of the Take Joy Society which embodies Tasha's philosophy of taking joy in all the good that life has to offer.  You will enjoy it.

While I do not wish to cast a pall over the day by mentioning all the evil is happening in the world today, we cannot avoid it, and I think we need now more than ever to find the good and joy in everything we can ~~~

~~~ Tasha's philosophy, her words and actions, her respect for everything are more important today than they have ever been ~~~

I belong to a Facebook group called "Take Peace", and several of us have signed up to take part in our "Tuesday With Tasha" baking event.  Each Tuesday we take turns and pick one of Tasha's receipts, bake it, and share it on the page, and this week it was my turn in the kitchen to share the receipt I made.

It is such a lovely thing to do and spreads the JOY that we share through our love of Tasha ~~~ the act of baking brings me great joy and pleasure; the magical alchemy of bringing together a few simple ingredients to produce something that can bring so much happiness to those with whom I can share, and so very often in my kitchen that product is cake, or sometimes bread, for I love to bake ~~~ and I love to share the joy by sharing what I bake ~~~

Here are my step by step images for Tasha's Yoghurt Streusel Coffee Cake ~~~

First I must show you my favourite measuring cups and spoons, gifted to me by a very dear friend ~~~ I use them nearly every day and I have a thing for snowflakes and angels both ~~~ these are very dear to me ~~~ they bring me great JOY  and  Happiness every time I use them ~~~



Away we go ~~~

Preparing the tin ~~~ a 10" Bundt pan greased and floured ~~~ always do this first, before the baking commences, and light the oven ~~~


Making the batter ~~~ it has been so long since I measured my ingredients by cups I got a tad confused and ended up measuring two x 1/4 cups of butter instead of one 1/2 a cup ~~~ but it yields the same weight, just more work!
{now, when it says 1 teaspoon of vanilla, I often double up because I just love vanilla}


Sifting the flour and leavening ingredients together ~~~


Add to the wet ingredients ~~~


It was at this point the electrician, whom I've been waiting for days, arrived. Argh!  With the leavening already active I knew I was in trouble, but I had to let him in and leave my baking sit on the counter top and hope the mix would not spoil.  Thirty minutes later, job done, I returned to the mix ~~~oh! frustration! What else could I do but carry on and hope for the best at this point ~~~ of course, this would not happen if the cake was not for 'public display' would it?

Making the streusel mix ~~~ hmmmm, something not quite right here, it is supposed to be crumbly. This is not.  I think the sugar is too moist, I've had this problem before using this particular sugar {which is deliciously moist with molasses} ~~~

Oh, well, onwards and upwards ~~~


Assembling the layers ~~~ now I really know the streusel is wrong, but into the oven it goes, 350 degrees, or Gas Mark 4, for about 40 minutes. Mine took about 50 minutes ~~~



Baked and cooling ~~~ such a relief to see a perfectly risen cake after the near mishap, and a lovely golden colour and even bake too ~~~ but the streusel is definitely not right ~~~




Preparing the frosting {I wanted a thicker frosting than the suggested glaze, so added about half as much confectioner's sugar again as the receipt suggests}




The end result ~~~ Voila! ~~~



The cake cuts and eats beautifully ~~~ I am relieved, I am so relieved!!!

Bon Appetit!


had to cut it while still fresh as I wanted to share the images on the Facebook page, but I do believe it will improve with keeping for a few days. The frosting is quite delicious and I will be using it in the future on other cakes for special occasions. The butter makes it softer and more richly flavoursome than a regular water icing. I will add fruit juice, or even a splash of rosewater, instead of the tablespoon of water.

must also share with you a beautiful book I secured via the secondary market, for books by, and about, Tasha are quite hard to come by here in the United Kingdom. This is the book about her passion for doll houses and is just a wonderful and magical read ~~~ it will fill your heart, as it does mine, with

~~~JOY~~~




Sincerely yours
Deborah xoxo

30 comments:

  1. Lovely cake! Thank you so much for playing along and trying a receipt of Tasha's :-)
    Blessings,
    Suzanne

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    1. It was my pleasure, Suzanne. Thank you for setting this all up. I really enjoyed taking part, despite the near miss with the electrician!

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  2. The cake looks delicious! And I bet is just perfect with an accompanying cup of tea. I could also see it decorated with edible flowers if you were serving for company. Wish I could pop across the pond to have a slice with you!
    Barbara

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    1. Decorating with edible flowers would be lovely, and I think Tasha would approve too. I would love to have you to tea.

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  3. This was so fun to see and mouth water over!! :-)
    Many blessings and warmth, Linnie

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  4. Deb, your cake turned out beautifully. Thank you for taking us into your kitchen. I must ask you about measuring butter, as it's quite different here. Our butter comes in four sticks to a pound of butter--so one stick of butter is 1/2 cup and so on. No need to put into a measuring cup that way. Sharing your beautiful cake with others is a wonderful way to spread JOY! Tasha Tudor was a facinating woman for her time. Her dollhouse used to be on display in Williamsburg. You are going to enjoy that book for sure.
    The simple joys of life are really important to focus on these days....xoxo ♥

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    1. Thank you, Martha Ellen ~ yes, I remember how much easier it was using a stick, and even tablespoons were marked on the greaseproof wrapper! Our butter comes in half pound blocks. I use unsalted organic when I can get it.
      It brings me Joy to read your comment!

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  5. I love it! Thanks so much for sharing! Now I have to scrounge around looking in my fridge for something to eat that can compare - no, I guess I will go hungry now! :(

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    1. Thank you Brandon. Oh dear, not a Fridge Raid? Sending you a slice of the cake, quick as I can. We can't have you going hungry!

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  6. Thank you for the mention, Deborah! I'm so glad the web journal is doing it's job of bringing a bit of Joy into people's lives. My husband, who loves to cook and bake and has taken several classes, believes that weighing ingredients is much better than having to measure it out in cups--much more accurate, too. I especially don't like it when they say 'half a medium onion, etc." when onions comes in different sizes. My medium and their medium could be entirely different.

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    1. You are most welcome, Cathy. It does bring Joy. I agree with your husband about weighing. My only issue now is that, after years of digging in my heels, I find myself forced to use metric. ugh! At least with vague quantities you can usually adjust to your personal preference if you are cooking, but baking is very different and accuracy is important.

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  7. The cake looks scrumptious, I really love the new header picture, and those spoons and cup measures are simply divine, I love using nice things in the kitchen x

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    1. Thank you. The cups and spoons came from America and are very special to me. I love using them as often as I can.

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  8. Deb, I'd say the cake was a success regardless - looks delish. But that book? If I had to choose, I'd take that over cake ANY day! Hoping the storm passed you by ...

    Sharon in Alabama

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    1. Thank you Sharon. Ha, yes book over cake any day. Which storm? lol. The one we had yesterday, or the fresh one that is howling about our heads at 50mph as I type? Already fed up with them and more coming.

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  9. Your cake looks so wonderful, Deb! The sign of a real baker, like you, is one who knows how to continuously adjust the recipes. I'm more of a recipe-follower, than a real baker, like you! It must feel so special to carry on Tasha Tudor's traditions through her recipes. Enjoy your tea and cake!♡

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    1. Oh, you are too kind, dearest friend! Yes, I am enjoying the cake with plenty of tea in the stormy weather!

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  10. Very nice blog post. You did a lovely job of photographing, too. You've inspired me! I copied off the recipe and will try it as soon as I get to the store for eggs, which will be tomorrow, as if finally stopped raining torrentially!! Thank you for sharing. A nice break on a rainy day. Jane xoxo

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    1. Thank you Jane. Do let us know how the recipe goes. I can't imagine you having torrential rain somehow, but it must be appreciated for the ground.

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    2. It's rather like "never rains but what it pours" here! We can go for weeks and then a deluge! We do usually need it, and it runs off rather quickly, so not a real problem. A good excuse to stay in and create!

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  11. It looks delicious. And very wintery. I'd have that with some tea on a cold winter afternoon.

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    1. Yes, we are in the teeth of more howling gales, aren't we? Tea and cakes it is!

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  12. I love Tasha Tudor, I have many of her books and think they are all beautiful. Your cake turned out delicious looking, and I love your measuring spoons and cups! :)

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    1. Thank you. Happy to find another follower of Tasha! Yes, I am very fond of my cups and spoons.

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  13. I am impressed with your step by step photos -- turned out lovely and must have been yummy!

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  14. I am so glad it turned out well. And you are right, had this been a cake just for you there would have been no interruptions. It looks so good...I think I must go and bake something. :-)

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    1. Wish you could taste it, my dear friend. You will have to make one for yourself. xoxo

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  15. What a tasty blog!!! I am so far behind in reading your blog!!! Moving from Virginia to Wisconsin.

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