CK's Kitchen: Pumpkin spice plus football equals autumn

Giving over to it My annual death grip on summer is loosening only enough to entertain a few delicacies of fall such as pumpkin spice and a pot of homemade chili simmering on the stove. Other than that, you can keep your cooler, shorter days that are only a precursor to full dread: winter in Northeast Ohio. Why do I live here? Well I don't have an answer for that completely rational question. I'm born and bred here, so it's complicated you could say. It's the same affliction that makes me a die-hard Browns fan, but more on that later. So no matter how much I fight it, my culinary cravings churn to a seasonal schedule and I was starting to crave the tastes of autumn. Humid and sour Billed as a moist sour cream pumpkin cake that's a family favorite, it was the Pinterest photo that attracted me first because of the cake's generous brown sugar streusel and maple glaze. Sugar upon sugar! If I'm going to indulge, I don't mess around. Not surprisingly, sour cream was the only ingredient I need to buy. I opted out of the pecans because I don't like nuts in my baked goods. But as always, feel free to do you! I woke up early on the Browns season opener to batter up this cake, make a pot of turkey black bean chili and some other appetizers for game time. It was incredibly humid so the sour cream came to room temperature quickly. The cake mixed up well, dry ingredients in one bowl, wet ingredients in the other. Then it was fun to make a little well in the flour and add the wet ingredients. It says to gently combine so the cake doesn't get tough from overmixing, but don't be afraid to make sure all the flour is incorporated. Browns lose but we win The baking time was perfect, but I was in the midst of making chili and getting everything "just so" before my friend arrived. Since there's only one of me, I had to wait to ice the cake and by that point, the maple and confectioner's sugar icing didn't melt much into the mostly cooled cake. I didn't mind, honestly. What really bothered me was how the Browns played against the Baltimore Ravens with an embarrassing final score of 38-6. While I'm accustomed to losing, I couldn't believe that this was their best performance on basically a level playing field since there were no Raven fans in the M&T Bank Stadium. But thanks to all my ambitious cooking and baking, all we did was win all afternoon. The coffee cake was an absolute delight, perfectly moist and not overly pumpkin flavored or spiced. I know I will make this cake again and again as it offers an elevated twist on the traditional coffee cake and it's a welcome change from the typical pumpkin bread or pumpkin roll dessert. Plus, it's a touchdown no matter what you drink with it — wine, seltzer, tea or even a pumpkin-spiced coffee!Contact Chrissy Kadleck at ckadleck@sbcglobal.net. Pumpkin spice coffee cake For the streusel: 1/2 cup (100 grams) light brown sugar 1/4 cup (32 grams) all-purpose flour 1/2 cup (60 grams) finely chopped pecans 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon 3 tablespoons (43 grams) unsalted butter, melted For the cake: 2 cups (254 grams) all-purpose flour 1 teaspoon baking powder 1/2 teaspoon baking soda 1/2 teaspoon fine salt 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg 1/2 cup (100 grams) light brown sugar 1/2 cup (100 grams) granulated sugar 1 cup (244 grams) pumpkin puree 1/2 cup (100 grams) vegetable oil 4 ounces (113 grams) sour cream, at room temperature 2 large eggs, beaten For the glaze: 1/2 cup (63 grams) powdered sugar, sifted 2 tablespoons maple syrup Preheat the oven to 350°F. Spray the bottom of an 8-inch square pan with nonstick cooking spray. Make the streusel: In a small bowl, combine all of the streusel ingredients with a fork until crumbly. Make the cake: In a large bowl, stir together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, brown sugar and granulated sugar. In a small bowl, stir together the pumpkin puree, oil, sour cream and eggs. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients, then pour in the wet ingredients. Gently stir until just combined. Spoon half of the batter into the prepared pan. Sprinkle with half of the streusel. Spread the remaining batter over the streusel. Sprinkle with the remaining streusel. Bake for 35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Glass and ceramic pans will take longer to bake than metal. Cool for 15 minutes. Make the topping: In a small bowl, combine the sugar and maple syrup until a thick, pourable icing forms. Drizzle over the warm cake. Cut into squares and serve. Store leftovers, covered, at room temperature for up to 4 days. Source: handletheheat.com