I was skeptical about the Cinnamon Squares this week. I love coffee cake and I enjoy chocolate, but I had never considered putting the two together. I've never been a fan of pain au chocolat and prefer my chocolate treats after dinner. However, I've been convinced this week that cinnamon, coffee, and chocolate play well together. To prove the point, I made some of my squares without chocolate and some with. The chocolate ones were perfect and the plain version lacked this extra flavor boost.

I made some unintentional modifications when making this cake. I forgot to put the cinnamon/sugar/espresso powder in the middle so I sprinkled it on top. It would have been much tastier blended into the cake. I also lost track of time and didn't make the frosting.

Recipe: Cinnamon Squares

Makes: 9 servings

Ingredients:

I'm not sure if this is what David Lebovitz had in mind when he tweeted the following this past week:

"Another new idea for my next book: Desserts that can be eaten right out of the measuring cups" @davidlebovitz

I've been thinking about doing this for a while…baking something in a measuring cup. Why? I'm not sure what purpose it holds, but it works. It might be fun to give as a gift to someone since they can use the measuring cups after enjoying the treats. It could also be part of a cooking-themed kids' birthday party where they can decorate their measuring cup cupcakes and then eat them.

It's also good for portion control, similar to the idea of the S-XL Cake pan mold that lets each person choose the size of their cake slice. But by baking in a measuring cup, no knives are required. No asking what size slice everyone wants. Just pass the forks and make sure you have the same size measuring cup for all your kids or fights will break out.

This recipe is from Bills Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner (affiliate link),a cookbook I haven't used much but know I should since it's filled with wonderful recipes.

Recipe: Blueberry Butter Cake

(I halved the recipe, and it filled 2 ½-cup measuring cups, 2 1/3-cup measuring cups, 2 ¼-cup measuring cups and a partial 1 cup measuring cup.)

You can find the recipe here.

To bake them in stainless steel measuring cups (affiliate link), spray the bottom with cooking spray, line with parchment paper, and spray again. Fill ¾ full. Bake for 25-30 minutes.

Tasting Notes
This is a nice, not-too-sweet cake to have for a snack or light dessert. The squish of the blueberry is like a burst of syrup that adds some sweetness to the vanilla-like cake base. Lingering on the coffee cake side of things, this cake would be delicious with other fruits as well. While good on their own, they're likely even better with crème anglaise or vanilla ice cream.

"There's something wrong with a mother who washes out a measuring cup with soap and water after she's only measured water in it." — Erma Bombeck

Other Blueberry Butter Cakes
• The Scent of Green Bananas
• Vicious Ange

Other Coffee Cakes
• Sour Cream and Yogurt Cinnamon Coffee Cake
• Streusel Coffee Cake with Cherries

kugelhupf, gugelhupf, kugelhoph, kougelhupf, cougloff, kougloff
Kugelhopf is a German, Austrian, Swiss and Alsatian term for coffee cake with yeast. Kugel means "ball" or "globe", but this cake usually has a hole in it. More doughnut-like, if you ask me.

I made this type of cake earlier this year, but it was called Tarte au sucre. I had nothing but trouble with this cake then, but Dorie's version came together easily. Having the right recipe and set of instructions is all you need.

Yeast breads and coffee cakes evolved from early honey cakes. According to Food Timeline, around the 17th century in Northern/Central Europe, eating sweet cakes with coffee became more common. There is even an Alsatian legend that the magi left the Kugelhopf in Alsace on their way to Bethlehem. To celebrate this legend, 

A Kugelhopf mold, traditionally made of oven-proof earthenware, has a central cylinder that helps cook the inside of the cake more quickly. To make Kugelhopf, I used my sit-in-the-corner-and-gather-dust individual bundt pans. It was great to have an opportunity to use this pan again.

Recipe: Kugelhopf

You can find the recipe for Kugelhopf in the book Baking: From My Home to Yours (affiliate link)
by Dorie Greenspan or here. To see how the rest of the TWD group fared with this week's recipe, click here and then click on each blogger! Thanks to Yolanda from The All-Purpose Girl who chose the recipe for this week.

Tasting Notes
This is a great breakfast or afternoon treat since it's not too sweet and lingers more on the bread side than the cake side. And although it's not hard to make, it does require some babysitting (and it's best to have a stand mixer to knead the butter into the dough). According to this New York Times article, you can even make a savory version with smoky bacon and crunchy walnuts. I think I'll give that a try next time I make this.

Recipe for Next Week (November 18)
Arborio Rice Pudding on pages 412 and 413 chosen by Isabelle from Les gourmandises d’Isa.