In my house, maple syrup is akin to liquid gold and the ONLY kind of maple syrup is Vermont maple syrup. (This is what happens when you marry a Real Vermonter.) The first time I made this recipe was as muffins, and Steve looked slightly panicked, slightly accusatory that I’d used maple syrup in baking. I mean, syrup is for PANCAKES. Period.

And I don’t know if it was the heavenly, rich, buttery, maple scent that taunted us as it baked or the soft, sweet maple cake under pleasantly crunchy maple streusel, but at first bite he was SOLD.

And who wouldn’t be? This coffee cake is just as good (if not better) the next day—the cake moist and tender, everything a good cake should be. And so, like any rational person, I’ve been looking for every excuse to bake it again. (And again.)

Hello, Polar Vortex.

When it gets really cold, as it’s been the past few weeks, I bake for warmth. And I try to choose either things that have a long baking time or to bake several things in succession to get the most additional heat in the house. So, lately we’ve been baking up a storm in my house: Chewy Brownies, Decadent Beer Brownies, Pizza, Blueberry Muffins, Banana Bread, Chocolate Chip Cookies in addition to my weekly Whole Wheat Bread and Ancient Hearty Grains Bread baking.

(Two weeks ago on our Instagram account, Becky posted about deciding to keep track of how much butter she uses this year. At the time, I’d gone through almost 3 pounds in just that weekend between making quiche, cornbread, this maple coffee cake, and the Perfect Vanilla Cake for my sweet neighbor’s birthday. I’ve lost count since then, but I’m fairly sure I don’t *want* to know.)

In the spirit of keeping things warm this week, when we were in negative temperatures and wind chills for most of the day, I baked up another pan of this delectable maple coffee cake, which also happens to be the base recipe for our Perfect Vanilla Cake. (Sidenote: baking this recipe along with making pizza for dinner brought the house temp up to 67 F—practically tropical when we’ve been fighting just to stay above 60 F with the wood stove roaring all day and night. I adore our 1840s house, but a drafty old house does have its drawbacks when temperatures tank.)

While the original recipe is for muffins, baking it as a coffee cake feels like less work because I don’t have to prepare two muffin tins and divide out the batter and streusel topping. And some days I’m all about less work (especially when I’m baking ALL the things to keep warm).

When I first stumbled on this recipe, I think it was the addition of yogurt that first sold me because we had an abundance of vanilla yogurt in the fridge that had been sitting around for a while and really needed to be used. If necessity is the mother of invention, it’s sometimes also the inspiration for baking because I needed to use up that yogurt if I didn’t want it go to waste.

Though it’s a little strange that I chose this particular recipe because I’m not a hardcore maple lover. I mean, I like maple syrup just fine, but it’s not a flavor that I ever seek out despite the fact that I grew up in Vermont. It just doesn’t entice me.

Full disclosure: Before I met my husband, I regularly stocked Mrs. Butterworth’s syrup for all of my syrup needs…which were virtually nonexistent. At the time, I was pretty sure I didn’t even like real maple syrup, and frankly never opted for it on the rare occasion that I had pancakes. My preferred pancake topping was (and still is) butter and sugar. (My husband still shakes his head in disbelief when I eat them that way.)

But after making this absolutely scrumptious cake, I’m starting to think maybe I’ve been missing something all along. Maybe I should be seeking out more maple recipes. Because it’s turning out that maybe I love maple after all.

Maple Coffee Cake with Oat Streusel

A tender, buttery maple cake with a lightly crunchy streusel.

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Prep Time: 25 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 45 minutes minutes

Total Time: 1 hour hour 10 minutes minutes

Course: Breakfast, Dessert

Servings: 1 coffee cake or 24 muffins

Ingredients

Volume - Weight

For the streusel:

• 3/4 cup rolled oats
• 6 Tablespoons unsalted butter, cut in small pieces
• 6 Tablespoons sugar
• 6 Tablespoons all purpose flour
• 1 Tablespoon pure maple syrup
• 1/2 teaspoon salt

For the cake or muffins:

• 1 cup butter
• 3/4 cup pure maple syrup
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 cup vanilla greek yogurt (can substitute regular vanilla or plain yogurt)
• 2 1/4 cups all purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt

Instructions

• Combine all the streusel ingredients in a medium bowl. Work the mixture with a fork or pastry cutter until mostly mixed. Finish with hands, working until the butter is all mixed in and large clumps form when you squeeze it together. Cover and refrigerate.
  
• For coffee cake: Preheat the oven to 375 F/190 C, and butter and flour a 13 x 9 baking pan.
  For muffins: preheat oven to 400 F/204 C, and line two 12-cup muffin pans with baking cups.
  
• Beat softened butter with maple syrup and sugar, then add eggs and vanilla. Beat well.
  
• Add yogurt, flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Beat on medium until light and fluffy.
  
• For coffee cake: spread batter into prepared pan, then sprinkle streusel on top, breaking up any large clumps. Bake for 40-45 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool completely, or enjoy while still warm.
  
• For muffins: divide batter evenly amongst the 24 cups. Break up any large clumps of streusel, then sprinkle evenly over the tops of the muffins. Bake for 16-18 minutes on separate racks in the oven, rotating once, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack.
  

Notes

To make this gluten free, simply substitute the flour with a one-to-one GF baking flour and GF oats. If you don't have certified GF oats, substitute with extra flour and/or chopped nuts. (Thanks to Katrina for the GF tips!)

 

Adapted from Maple Muffins with Oat Streusel