Pardon me for waxing philosophical here, but as a lady of a certain age, I have come to realize that one does not escape one’s ancestry.  Life is beautiful and rich when you embrace your past and cut your own path with your people at your back.  For me, that means this coffee cake.  When I took my first bite, I felt like I was 80 years old.  In a good way.  You get yourself a steaming cup of coffee or black tea (okay, or rooiboos – whatever your pleasure), you kick your feet up (everyone has to do it once in a while), you schnuggle under the afghan your grandmother crocheted you, and you eat a nice piece of cake.  Revel, rejoice in the simplicity of it.

I suppose first, you must make the coffee cake.  Fortunately, this one is quite simple.

(Adapted from a King Arthur Flour recipe for Polish babka)

Ashkenazic coffee cake

• 1/2 cup vanilla almond milk, lukewarm (microwave for 45 seconds if cold from the fridge)
• 1/2 cup applesauce, heated in the microwave for about 30 seconds
• 1/4 cup canola oil
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1/4 cup non-hydrogenated margarine stick (I prefer Nucoa for baking)
• 1/2 tsp table salt
• 2 cups all purpose flour
• 2 tsp instant yeast
• 1/4 cup white or golden raisins
• 1/4 cup currants

Syrup

• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1/4 cup apple juice

Icing

• 1 cup confectioners’ sugar
• Pinch of salt
• 2 tbsp vanilla almond milk

Place the cake ingredients, except for the fruit, in the bowl of a standing mixer or in a large bowl and mix until the ingredients are well combined.  If using a standing mixer or hand beater, mix on medium for about 2 minutes.  Add the fruit, and mix on low until combined.  Cover your bowl, and let the cake batter rest for an hour.  Don’t worry, it’s really fermenting more than rising or anything else.  Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and then pour the batter into a bundt pan sprayed with cooking spray, cover, and let rest for 30 more minutes.  Uncover, and bake for 30 minutes until a thermometer reads 190 degrees or until it’s light on top and golden on the sides.

While the babka is baking, put the syrup ingredients into a small saucepan, and bring to a boil over medium-high heat.  Whisk occasionally until the sugar dissolves and the liquid is clear.  Set aside.

Remove the cake from the oven, gently poke it with a fork all over, then pour the syrup over the cake.  It may seem like a lot, but it’s what makes this cake so moist!  After about 20 minutes, loosen the cake from the pan, and carefully turn it out onto a plate.

Place the icing ingredients in a bowl and whisk to combine.  Once the cake is completely cooled, drizzle the icing over the top.