Memorable Quotes:

“A Bearnaise sauce is simply an egg yolk, a shallot, a little tarragon vinegar and butter, but it takes years of practice for the result to be perfect.” — Fernand Point

Merk's Coffee Cake

A rich sour cream coffee cake flavored with vanilla and almond, with a buttery brown sugar, cinnamon and nut mixture layered through the cake. Finished with a light dusting of confectioners’ sugar, it’s a classic Bundt-style coffee cake.

Merck’s Coffee Cake

Servings: About 12
Prep Time: About 20 minutes
Cook Time: About 50 minutes

Ingredients:

  • ½ cup shortening
  • ¾ cup granulated sugar
  • ½ teaspoon almond extract
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 3 large eggs
  • 2 cups sifted all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 cup sour cream

Brown Sugar-Nut Filling:

  • 6 tablespoons butter or margarine, softened
  • 1 cup packed brown sugar
  • 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
  • 1 cup chopped nuts

For Finishing:

  • Confectioners’ sugar, for dusting

Instructions:

  1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Generously grease a Bundt pan.
  2. Cream together the shortening, granulated sugar, almond extract and vanilla until light and well combined.
  3. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition.
  4. Sift together the flour, baking powder and baking soda.
  5. Add the dry ingredients to the creamed mixture alternately with the sour cream, blending after each addition.
  6. Spread half of the batter evenly in the prepared Bundt pan.
  7. For the filling, cream together the softened butter, brown sugar and cinnamon. Stir in the chopped nuts.
  8. Dot half of the brown sugar-nut mixture evenly over the batter.
  9. Cover with the remaining cake batter.
  10. Dot the remaining brown sugar-nut mixture over the top.
  11. Bake at 350°F for about 50 minutes, or until a tester inserted into the cake comes out clean.
  12. Cool in the pan on a rack for 10 minutes.
  13. Carefully turn the cake out onto the rack and cool completely.
  14. Dust with confectioners’ sugar before serving.

Denver High-Altitude Adjustments (5,280 feet):

  • Increase the oven temperature from 350°F to 365°F.
  • Reduce the granulated sugar from ¾ cup to about ⅔ cup.
  • Reduce the brown sugar in the filling from 1 cup to about ⅞ cup (¾ cup plus 2 tablespoons).
  • Reduce the baking powder from 1 teaspoon to ¾ teaspoon.
  • Reduce the baking soda from 1 teaspoon to ¾ teaspoon.
  • Add 1 tablespoon water or milk to the cake batter.
  • Begin checking for doneness at about 42–45 minutes.

Tip: Your original recipe says “3530 degrees,” which is clearly a typographical error. I’ve formatted it as 350°F, which fits the stated 50-minute baking time and this style of coffee cake.

Source: Merk’s Recipe