Dessert: Coffee Cake

Recipe by Craig Strong Craig Strong, Executive Chef of Studio at Montage Laguna Beach, shared this recipe exclusively with Epicurious. When making his cinnamon- and nutmeg-scented coffee cake, Strong recommends having a whisk as well as a rubber spatula

This recipe includes fertility superfoods such as:

Cinnamon

Health and fertility benefits of Coffee Cake

Cinnamon is one of the best ingredients that someone with insulin sensitivity can eat. Half a teaspoon of cinnamon per day has been shown to be very effective at normalizing blood sugar levels. Cinnamon contains hydroxychalcone, which is thought to enhance the effects of insulin. It has also been suggested that Cinnamon prevents post-meal blood sugar spikes by slowing the gastric emptying rate - meaning that food digests slowly. (Reference: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11506060).

Ingredients

Nonstick vegetable oil spray
4 1/4 cups all-purpose flour, plus extra for dusting pans
1 3/4 cups packed light or dark brown sugar
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 tablespoons ground cinnamon
1 tablespoon ground nutmeg
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups grape-seed oil
1 tablespoon baking soda
1 1/2 tablespoons baking powder
3 large eggs
1 1/2 cups buttermilk

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350 °F. Spray 8 mini loaf pans with nonstick vegetable oil spray then dust the pans with flour, tapping out any excess.
In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, light or brown sugar, sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt. Drizzle in the grapeseed oil then whisk until the mixture resembles wet sand. Measure out 1 cup of the mixture and reserve it for the topping.
Add the baking soda and baking powder to the large bowl and stir with a spatula to combine. Add the eggs and stir to combine then add the buttermilk and stir to combine—the batter will have some lumps. Scoop about 1 cup of batter into each of the prepared pans, smoothing the tops. Sprinkle the reserved topping in very small clumps over the top of each cake and bake until a wooden toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, 30 to 35 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely, then invert onto the rack to unmold. DO AHEAD: Coffee cakes can be baked in advance, cooled, covered, and kept at room temperature for up to 24 hours.

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