What Happens Before Coffee

Accidents happen and this was definitely a mistake.  I was attempting to make a coffee cake but when going to add almond extract I accidentally added lemon extract instead.   I clearly had not had my cup of coffee yet, after all, I was waiting to have it with my delicious coffee cake.  After realizing what had happened I knew I had two options, scratch the coffee cake or turn an accident into something that seemed purposeful.  I have a "mood over food" rule in our kitchen.  Things often don't go right but I believe the kids care more about the mood I put out than the food that is put on the table.  It is hard to do but I often have to admit my mistakes "the gravy burned to the bottom of the pan" and move on verses huff and pout about errors.  Truthfully my kids would prefer a good mood and a frozen pizza then a bad mood and a gourmet dinner.  That being said I decided to adjust our coffee cake and aim for a lemon coffee cake knowing that if it failed there was still cereal in the cupboard.  Surprisingly my kiddos loved it even more than our usual cinnamon coffee cake.  They were filled with "OOOOOs" and "Ahhhhhhs" and even "MMMMMMMs".  They said the recipe (or lack thereof) was a keeper for sure and that made me laugh.  You really never know what you are going to get before the first cup of coffee.

Lemon Coffee Cake

Ingredients

For the Cake Batter:
3 C all-purpose gluten-free flour
1 C granulated sugar
1 Tbsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 C butter softened
1 1/2 C almond milk (Aliya can't have milk at the moment but regular would work fine)
1 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
2 large eggs, room temperature
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp lemon extract

For the Topping:

6 T butter melted
1 C gluten-free flour
1/3 C brown sugar
1/3 C sugar
1 T Lemon Zest

For the Glaze:

1 C powdered sugar
1T butter softened
1/2 tsp vanilla
2-3 T almond milk

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees and spray a 9x13 inch baking dish with non-stick spray.
• Add the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt to a large bowl and whisk to combine. Add the softened butter and mix.
• In a separate medium bowl, whisk together the eggs,  almond milk, vinegar, and vanilla. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and mix until combined. Transfer the batter to the prepared baking dish and set aside.

To make the topping:

• Add the melted butter, flour, brown sugar, sugar, and a bit of lemon zest to a small bowl and mix until it forms crumbs.
• Sprinkle the crumb topping evenly over the top of the cake.
• Bake the coffee cake at 350 degrees for 40-45 minutes or until a cake tester comes out clean. Let cool 10 minutes before serving.

To make the glaze:

• Combine powdered sugar, softened butter, vanilla and almond milk in a small bowl.  This glaze is not necessary at all but when you have kiddos who have had a hard week and you are already all-in on an unhealthy breakfast it doesn't hurt to have it either.