Since the end of 2013, I haven’t really had a free weekend. Not that I’m complaining: they’ve been full of family parties and gatherings with friends, and there’s no way I’d rather spend my time. Recently, though, I flew out of Philadelphia on a Saturday for a conference and returned to work the following Wednesday, feeling as if I were running on fumes after practically not having a weekend, let alone one to myself. I was overjoyed when I finally reached my rewarding, three day weekend.

With nothing written in stone on the calendar, I looked forward to a lot of relaxing and fitting in a few chores here and there. But, the only thing I actually planned on doing was baking a delectable treat that I could pick at for the entire three days I was off. This massive brown sugar coffee cake is just the thing for casual weekends.

Brown Sugar Coffee Cake Adapted from Martha Stewart

Crumb Topping

• 1 cup butter (2 sticks), melted
• 1 cup dark brown sugar, packed
• ½ cup sugar
• 2 teaspoons cinnamon
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 2 ½ cups flour

Cake

• 2 cups flour
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1 ¼ cups dark brown sugar, packed
• 2 large eggs
• 1 teaspoon almond extract (or vanilla extract)
• 1 cup non-fat Greek yogurt

Glaze

• ¼ cup dark brown sugar
• ¼ cup confectioners’ sugar
• 2 tablespoons milk

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and butter the bottom and sides of a 9” spring form pan. Prepare crumb topping in a medium bowl by mixing sugars, cinnamon, and salt together. Add melted butter and whisk until smooth. Incorporate flour until just mixed in. Pour onto a baking sheet and set aside; allow to dry out while cake is prepared. For the cake, mix together flour, baking soda, cinnamon and salt; set aside. In a large bowl, beat together butter and brown sugar until fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add eggs, one at a time, and almond extract. On low speed, mix in flour combination and Greek yogurt alternately in three parts, ending with flour. Spread batter evenly into cake pan and top with crumble, pressing gently into the cake. Bake for approximately 50 minutes, checking with a cake tester for doneness. Whisk together sugars and milk for glaze and drizzle on cake after it has cooled for about 15 minutes.

Dark brown sugar is clearly the central focus of this recipe, as it appears in all three components. Its deep molasses flavor enhances the batter in ways the ingredients of a plain coffee cake simply cannot attain, and it’s partly responsible for the cake’s moisture, along with the Greek yogurt. The density and richness are the cake’s strongest points, and it’s so substantial that a sliver-sized piece will do. Crunchy, sweet crumbles adorn the top and are drizzled with a brown sugar glaze, arguably the best part. The original recipe called for baking in a 9”x13” pan, so my round spring-form pan resulted in a super thick cake with a super thick crumble topping – a definite bonus. This also meant I had to adjust the baking time and trust my instincts. If you opt for a round pan, too, keep your eye on it around 45 minutes but expect it to take longer. Perfect in the morning, with coffee as the name implies, but just as good with a cold glass of milk before bed, this recipe appears at the top of my extensive list of favorite baked goods.

I can’t say I did many chores, but I did catch up on relaxing and managed to eat my way through the three day weekend. If I had to cross one thing off my list, though, I’m glad it was this brown sugar coffee cake.

Casey Ann is a local foodie and blogger. Check out her recipes and reviews at www.cleanpl8.com