Secret Recipe Club: Blue Ribbon Coffee Cake

So.
It's not my regular week for Secret Recipe Club, but I offered to pick up an orphan for Group C and post with them this week.  I'm really glad I did.  Partially because after this month I won't really have time for a while, and partially because it gave me another opportunity to explore a new blog and make something yummy.
I was thrilled to get Jane's Blog, The Heritage Cook.  When I joined Group A of the SRC, Jane was our fearless group leader.  I had gone to her site after getting the email with my first assignment, and had poked around a little thinking that there would be lots to choose from when I drew her name as my assignment.  Then the groups changed.  Jane left for Group C.  I was never assigned her blog.
By happy coincidence, I was assigned her blog as the orphan.  I suddenly poked about her blog with purpose!
Jane is a native Californian, and has been gluten-free for 3 years. She has chocolate Mondays.  There are so many things that I'll need to go back and make more!  She has fabulous looking food, and it took a while to find something until I promised to bake for my custodial staff.  I have a meeting today, and I promised to bake for them.  Then I found this recipe.  It was obviously meant to be.
I present to you now the Heritage Cook's Blue Ribbon Coffee Cake:

Ingredients:
For the Topping:
1/2 c brown sugar
2 tsp flour
3/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
2 Tbsp cold butter, cut into pieces
1-1/2 c pecans, roughly chopped
For the Cake:
1/2 c butter, softened
1 c white sugar
3 eggs
2 tsp orange zest
2 c flour, sifted
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1 c sour cream, stirred
1 c raisins

Method:
1.  Make the Topping:  Combine sugar, flour, cinnamon and nutmeg and stir well.  Cut in cold butter until in small pieces.  Add nuts and stir until well combined and the sugar appears sandy in consistency.
2.  Make the Cake:  Preheat oven to 350F.  Grease a 9" square cake pan and set aside.  In a large bowl, sift together flour, soda, baking powder, and salt.  Set aside.  In the bowl of an electric mixer, cream butter light and smooth.  With the mixer running, add sugar and beat on medium for 1 minute.  Add eggs and zest, beating until light and fluffy.  Add flour mixture in 3  parts, alternating with sour cream.  Stir in raisins.
3.  Pour batter into prepared pan, and smooth into the corners of the pan.  Sprinkle topping evenly over the surface.  Bake cake at 350F for 30 minutes, allow to cool for at least 10 minutes before slicing.

From The Heritage Cook

I realized today that I have not blogged my mother's coffee cake, which is delicious.  I don't make it very often because it makes a big bundt, but the topping for this cake reminded me of mom's.  That is where the similarities ended.

The orange and raisins were different for me, but good different.  Really good.  Especially when baking.  J and I both enjoyed this for breakfast - it was so good both warm and once cooled,  and we also enjoyed sitting, bathed in the aroma of orange, raisins, spices and pecans while it baked.  Thanks Jane!  I'm so glad I had the chance to check out your blog!!







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