Going Home Again

The plan was to come home to the Bay Area on Thursday evening, go to a very old friend's rehearsal dinner on Friday night, swan down the aisle as a bridesmaid the following evening at the faculty club at UC Berkeley, and then back home to New York on Sunday.

Everything was going exactly as planned. After a very festive wedding I collapsed into bed, excited for the Sunday breakfast I knew my dad was going to be preparing, and also girding myself for the transcontinental flight to come. Turns out the flight was not to occur...something about inclement weather on the east coast, which means I'm stranded until Tuesday (with a roaring fire, excellent food, friendly cats, my parents and my sister, it is hardly a desperate situation, although Paul was a bit miffed as his flight somehow made it out and he'll be on his own for a couple of days). But luckily, the breakfast did occur.

In honor of my vegan sister's homecoming, my dad opted for a vegan breakfast. Once again, The Joy of Vegan Baking came to the rescue with a wonderful recipe. In true dad fashion, it was coffee cake (although I was reminded this morning, quite strenuously, that there were many a Sunday morning growing up that involved pancakes on our giant griddle, and he is in fact quite right, he has a repertoire that is wider than coffee cake, I stand corrected), it was brown (he loves whole wheat like no one I have ever met), and it was very, very good.


Dad took the author up on her suggestion to add some fruit, and threw in 3/4 of a cup of frozen blueberries (at this time of year, frozen is a much better option than the mediocre fresh ones you find in the market!). As the author also mentioned, a cut up apple would be fabulous in this as well. And I must admit that I am intrigued by her idea of substituting cardamom for cinnamon...cardamom and apples are a heady combination. I can see there being some delicious possibilities with this relatively blank canvas of a coffee cake!

Of course, if you are not sympathetic to veganism, you can certainly substitute standard milk and standard butter for the non-dairy versions.

Cinnamon Coffee Cake

Yields 12 servings

Ingredients - Cake

1 cup nondairy milk
1/3 cup canola oil
1 tablespoon white distilled vinegar
1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour or whole wheat pastry flour
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon salt

Ingredients - Crumble

3/4 cup unbleached all-purpose flour or whole wheat pastry flour
1/4 cup granulated or brown sugar
1 to 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup chopped walnuts
1/3 cup canola oil or nondairy butter, melted

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9-inch square baking dish/cake pan. To make the cake, combine the milk, oil and vinegar in a bowl and set aside. In a large bowl, mix together the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger and salt. Add the milk mixture and stir until just combined. Pour into the prepared baking dish.

To make the crumble, in a small bowl, combine the flour, sugar, cinnamon, ginger, salt and walnuts. Add the butter or oil, and use your hands to thoroughly work it into the dry ingredients. Spoon on top of the batter, covering the entire area.

Bake for 35 to 40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean. Let it cool slightly, and serve warm or at room temperature.