Attack of the Cherry Coffee Cake

Procrastineating: Watch Hill, RI edition. Last time it was banana bread. This time around: um....AAAHHH! What the f*ck is that? It's... coffee cake? Bubble bubble, toil and trouble likely had something to do with too much egg replacer. But who cares how it looks... it's tasty. After you let it cool, wrap it tightly in saran wrap and eat it cold the next day.

Cherry Coffee Cake
(adapted from Cafe Flora Cookbook)

1 cup soy or rice milk
1 T vinegar
1 1/2 cups pitted sliced cherries
2 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose four, plus 2 T for fruit
1 1/2 cups sugar
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
4 T (1/2 stick) cold margarine, plus 1/4 lb (1 stick)
1 tsp baking powder
1 1/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp Egg Replacer mixed with 2 T water

1. Preheat oven to 350. Grease a 9 1/2" springform pan. In a small bowl, mix the milk with the vinegar and set aside.

2. Toss cherries in bowl with 2 T flour to coat, set aside.

3. Mix together 1/2 cup of flour, 1/2 cup of the sugar, and cinnamon in a medium bowl. Cut the 4 T margarine into small chunks and mix it in with your fingers until the mixture resembles coarsley chopped nuts. Freeze until ready to use.

4. Sift the remaining 2 cups flour with the baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a small bowl.

5. In a large bowl, use an electric mixer to cream the remaining stick of margarine with the remaining 1 cup sugar for 1 minute.

6. Starting with the dry ingredients, add 1/3 of the dry ing. to the margarine/sugar mixture alternately with the milk-vinegar mixture, 1/2 cup at a time. Mix just until no floury streaks remain, ending with the dry ingredients. Do not overbeat. Fold in the egg replacer/water, until fully incorporated. Gently fold in the fruit.

7. Spoon batter into the prepared pan. Sprinkle the crumble topping evenly over the batter. Bake for about 35 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out with some crumbs still attached. Let cool for an hour or more (actually tastes better the next day).