Jam Swirled Coffee Cake

The seniors I work with love fruity desserts- be they thumbprint cookies with preserves, strawberry shortcake, crisps, pies or cobblers. And jam swirled coffee cake is no exception. I came across the recipe in an online search for a new dessert to make, and they liked it more than I ever would have expected- I'm not sure if it was due to the extra large pieces I served, that they were in a extra good mood, or that it really is just that good.

So bake some cake for your favorite seniors and serve with (decaf) coffee.

Jam Swirl Coffee Cake

(Click for Original Recipe)

Ingredients:

• 2 cups sifted all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/3 cup butter (5 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon)
• 1 egg, beaten
• 3/4 cup milk
• 1 cup of your favorite jam, jelly or preserves (I used grape jelly!)

Topping:

• 2/3 cup light brown sugar, firmly packed
• 2 tablespoons flour
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1/2 cup chopped walnuts or pecans*

Preparation:

Into a medium bowl, sift together flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Cut in butter with pastry blender to make a fine crumbly mixture. Add egg and milk; stir just until dry ingredients are moistened. Spoon batter into a generously buttered 9-inch square pan. Spoon jam over the batter, then swirl through the batter with a knife. Mix topping ingredients with fork or fingers until crumbly and sprinkle evenly over batter. Bake at 400° for 25 to 30 minutes, until done. Cut into squares and serve while still warm.
Makes about 9 squares

*I have a resident with nut allergies, so I omitted the nuts in the streusel topping
.