Easy Coffee Cake Recipe: Armenian Nutmeg Cake
How to Make Armenian Nutmeg Cake
The best coffee cake I've ever tried, and, frankly, one of the easiest to make (especially if you have a food processor), is this Armenian nutmeg cake. Everything from the moist, fragrant, springy top, decorated with walnuts, down to the richly flavored buttery crust will make you swoon. In fact, a friend of mine tried a slice that I made this past weekend, and she promptly slumped in her chair, rolled her eyes back, and sighed. "Wow, that's good."
Are you convinced? Let's get started.
Ingredients
- 1 cup milk (I use whole, but nonfat or low-fat should be fine; non-dairy might work just fine, as well)
- 2 cups flour (I use all-purpose, but I suspect pastry flour or another low-gluten flour might even work better to achieve a light, fluffy crumb)
- 2 cups brown sugar
- 1/2 cup (or more) walnut pieces
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 2 teaspoons baking powder (I used single-acting, because it's aluminum-free, and it turned out fantastic)
- 1 egg
- 6 ounces (170 grams) butter, preferably unsalted
- 1 to 1-1/2 teaspoons ground nutmeg (try to grate it fresh yourself; the aroma is enchanting)
- Springform pan (9 inches/23 centimeters should be perfect)
Instructions: The Traditional Way
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
- Mix the 1 teaspoon of baking soda (not baking powder; that's for the next step) into the milk. Set it aside.
- Sift the 2 cups of flour and 2 teaspoons of baking powder into a large bowl. One sift is fine.
- Add the 2 cups of brown sugar. Go ahead and mix the flour and brown sugar together. Or not.
- Toss in the 6 ounces (170 grams) of butter in cubes.
- Mash the butter with a fork into the dry ingredients (you can also use your fingers if you want). You'll want to achieve a more-or-less uniform, tan-colored crumbly mixture.
- Take half of this resulting crumbly mixture into your springform pan. Press a crust out of it using your fingers and knuckles. It will be easy.
- Crack an egg into a mixer or bowl.
- Grate 1 to 1-1/2 teaspoons of nutmeg. Toss that in with the egg.
- Start mixing with a whisk attachment, or a whisk if you're doing it manually. Once it's mixed well and frothy, pour in the milk and baking soda mixture. Continue to mix until uniform.
- Pour in the rest of the crumbly mixture. Mix that well with either a paddle attachment or a spatula. Or continue to use the whisk; it won't make much of a difference, since the resulting batter is very liquidy.
- Pour the batter over the crust in the springform pan.
- Gently sprinkle the walnut pieces over the batter.
- Bake for about 30–40 minutes at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). You'll know it's done when the top is a golden brown, and an inserted toothpick comes out clean.
- Allow to cool in the pan, and then release. Enjoy!



An Even Easier Way (If You Have a Food Processor)
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
- Mix the 1 teaspoon of baking soda (not baking powder) into the milk. Set aside.
- Put 2 cups of flour, 2 teaspoons of baking powder, and 2 cups of brown sugar into your food processor. Pulse until uniformly mixed.
- Toss in the 6 ounces (170 grams) of butter in cubes. Pulse until uniformly mixed into tan-colored crumbs.
- Pour half of the crumbs into your springform pan. Press out a crust using your fingers and knuckles.
- Crack an egg into the food processor with the rest of the crumbs still in it.
- Grate 1 to 1-1/2 teaspoons of nutmeg. Toss that into the food processor, too. Pulse until well incorporated.
- Pour in the milk and baking soda mixture. Continue to mix until a slightly lumpy tan batter.
- Pour the batter over the crust in the springform pan.
- Gently sprinkle the walnut pieces over the batter.
- Bake for approximately 30–40 minutes at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). It's ready when the top is golden brown, and when it passes the toothpick test (comes out clean).
- Cool the cake in the pan, and then dig in. Yum yum!
Nutrition Information
Per cake | Per slice (12 per cake) | |
---|---|---|
Calories | 3835 | 320 |
Protein | 50 g | 4 g |
Fat | 192 g | 16 g |
Carbs | 494 g | 41 g |
Sodium | 307 mg | 26 mg |