Nika's Old-Fashioned Coffee Cake
Some recipes belong to a place and a person. This one is both — a coffee cake that Nika has been making for years, built around the same simple principle that guides everything at Nika's Olive: start with exceptional ingredients and let them do the work. Two of our best oils carry this cake — Butter Infused Olive Oil for richness and Lemon Fused Olive Oil for a brightness that cuts right through the sweetness — and the result is a crumb-topped cake that's tender, fragrant, and impossible to stop eating.
It freezes beautifully, makes a stunning hostess gift, and tastes even better the day after it's baked. Serve it warm with a cup of Red Rooster coffee and you've got a combination worth waking up early for.
Recipe: Nika's Old-Fashioned Coffee Cake
Makes one 13x9 pan — serves 12 to 15
Ingredients:
4 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups packed brown sugar
1 cup granulated sugar
1½ tsp salt
1 tsp nutmeg
2 tsp cinnamon
1 cup Butter Infused Olive Oil
¼ cup Lemon Fused Olive Oil
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
3 large eggs
1½ cups buttermilk
Instructions:
Preheat oven to 350°F.
In a large bowl, whisk together flour, both sugars, salt, nutmeg, and cinnamon until no lumps remain.
Stir in both olive oils with a wooden or silicone spoon until the mixture is well combined and crumbly.
Remove 1½ cups of this crumbled mixture and set aside — this becomes your topping.
Add baking powder, baking soda, eggs, and buttermilk to the remaining mixture. Stir until smooth.
Spread batter evenly into a greased 13x9-inch pan. Scatter the reserved crumble evenly over the top.
Bake 45 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
The Balsamic Twist: Before adding your oils to the batter, whisk 1–2 tbsp of a flavored balsamic directly into the oils. It disappears into the crumb but leaves behind a flavor that people can't quite put their finger on — in the best possible way. Our favorites: Blueberry Balsamic, Cinnamon Pear Balsamic, and Red Apple Balsamic.
Gifting Notes: Cool completely, wrap tightly in foil, and this cake holds at room temperature for 3 days or freezes for up to 3 months. Tuck it in a gift box with a small bottle of Butter Olive Oil and a bag of Red Rooster coffee for a gift set that genuinely delights.
