I’m not the one who gave this cake its name. That would be Carine Goren, who includes “The Perfect Coffee Cake” in her cookbook Sweet Secrets. I do agree with her, though. The cake really did come out perfectly. I just happened to make it at the worst possible time…(very) late Friday afternoon.

I’ve been married for 41 Shabboses and have experienced approximately that many hectic Fridays. We’ve done a fair amount of hosting during our shana rishona (first year of marriage), but the truth is that even when it’s just the two of us, I cook up a storm. For a Shabbos in which we’re eating the two main meals at home, my menu tends to include 8-10 dishes.

I know it sounds crazy. But think about it: Challah, a dip or other appetizer, and soup. That’s three before you even hit the main course of the first meal. Then a main dish, a side dish, and a dessert (plus another side or two if we’re having company). We’re up to six already.

For lunch the next day, the challah and dip/appetizer are repeated, but I like to have a new main dish and two new sides (same dessert, though). That makes nine. And for a long Shabbos in which there’s a chance of us being hungry for seudat shlishit, I’ll make one more thing.

(Having several weeks’ worth of challah and soup in the freezer helps a lot. I’ve learned the hard way not to make a new batch of either on a Friday. Ever. EVER.)

Miraculously, there have been only one or two times that I had to leave dishes out because there wasn’t enough time to make them. Last Friday was the third, but it was the first time it happened with dessert.

I had steadily worked my way through beet salad, teriyaki tofu, black rice, spicy zucchini salad, butternut squash kugel, and szechuan eggplant. The challah was defrosting on the counter and the soup, already defrosted, was ready to be warmed up. Now just the coffee cake…

I barreled through making the batter and then caught sight of the clock. 6:15 p.m. Candle-lighting was at 6:40.

Because I can be (really) stubborn, I grabbed a bowl to start the cinnamon-sugar filling. I also cried out desperately to my husband that there was no way this was going to get finished on time. He agreed with me, told me not to worry about the cake, and suggested I go shower. I said I’d rather bake this cake than get a shower. (I know, bad idea. But Shabbos without dessert?)

The end of the story is that I came to my senses, stuck the batter in the fridge, and managed to light my candles on time. We did not have dessert on Shabbos, and we survived.

We did, however, have it motsei Shabbos for melave malka. And in my excitement to see whether this cake was truly perfect, I sliced into it while it was still hot, and ended up with a very crumbly, albeit delicious, piece of coffee cake.

I’m accepting advice, though. How do you keep Fridays under control?

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The Perfect Coffee Cake
(Adapted from Sweet Secrets)

Ingredients

Cake

• 3/4 c (1.5 sticks) soft, unsalted butter (plus more for buttering the pan)
• 1 c dark brown sugar
• 1/4 c white sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 3 eggs
• 3 c flour
• 1 Tbsp baking powder
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 2 c sour cream (use a lower fat percentage if available)

Filling & Topping

• 3/4 c less 2 Tbsp dark brown sugar
• 1 Tbsp cinnamon
• 1 Tbsp cocoa powder
• 1 c chocolate chips
• confectioner’s sugar, to garnish

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 F/180 C.

2. In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, or using a hand mixer and a large mixing bowl, cream the butter, sugars, and vanilla extract on medium speed. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.

3. Combine flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. With the mixer on low speed, add the flour alternating with the sour cream, three times, starting and finishing with the flour mixture.

4. Mix the filling ingredients together and set aside.

5. Pour a quarter of the batter into a generously buttered bundt pan. (I used a springform pan, and it was fine. A different shape, but fine.) Sprinkle one-third of the filling on top of the batter, and repeat so that you have four layers of batter and three layers of filling.

6. Bake for 55-65 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean (moist crumbs are fine). Cool, decorate with confectioner’s sugar if you like, and serve.

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