Cowboy Coffee Cake

When I got married, my mother gave me a recipe book in which she handwrote several of our family's favorite recipes. I go to this book again and again for my nostalgic favorites, and have added in several of my own. Though it is says "Phillips Family Cookbook" on the front, after being married ten years and my adding many recipes, it has become the Phillips-Finn (That's ME!) Cookbook. I love looking at the recipes that my mom and dad cooked while I was growing up. A favorite of my family's is Cowboy Coffee Cake. Our holiday tradition on Thanksgiving and Christmas was to have a nice brunch mid-morning and then a big dinner around 2 p.m. My daddy always made two quiches (one w/bacon, and one w/sausage), and my mom made Cowboy Coffee Cake.

It has been several months or more since I made my mom's coffee cake, but I decided to do it last night. And I am so glad I did! It is super yummy, and brings back all kinds of wonderful memories. Please note that I am sure my mother got this recipe from a cookbook somewhere, but I don't know the original source. It is a different twist on coffee cake that I think you will enjoy!

Cowboy Coffee Cake (from the kitchen of Linda Phillips)
2 1/2 cups flour
2 cups brown sugar
1/2 tsp salt
2/3 cup butter *
1 cup sour milk **
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
2 beaten eggs

Combine flour, brown sugar, salt and butter until crumbly (I also add a dash of cinnamon and nutmeg to this). Set aside 1/2 cup of this mixture. To the remaining add sour milk, baking powder and soda, spices and eggs. Mix well. Pour into two greased and floured cake pans. Top with reserved crumbs (my crumbs were a little dry, so to that 1/2 cup reserved crumbs I cut another TBSP of butter before sprinkling on top). Bake at 375 degrees for 30 minutes. Enjoy how your house smells, and how the coffee cake melts in your mouth!

*My mother's original recipe called for shortening instead of butter, but I find that butter gives the coffee cake a richer flavor.
**2 TBSP vinegar and enough milk to make 1 cup. Let stand for 5 minutes.