Hazelnut Coffee Cake

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I don't deal with failure very well.  Even the slightest problem sets me back emotionally.  I guess that's why I'm not a crackerjack tennis player or a world class figure skater.  Cooking failures are especially galling because not only have you wasted time and energy, but ingredients.  Ingredients like fresh raspberries in March!

I had planned to make a raspberry coffee cake, with a layer of sweet molten raspberries in the middle, topped with streusel, more moist sour cream cake, and then another layer of streusel.  But it was not to be.  The cake was soggy inside, almost burnt outside, sagging in the middle and basically yucky.

While the kitchen was still strewn with flour, butter, eggs I pulled myself together, washed out the pan, and gave it another try.  This time a simpler, streamlined version of the original.  It's weird, but I find coffee cakes to be some of the most difficult things to bake, there is something about them that invites disaster. Although I've never had much luck, some to think of it, with cooked raspberries.  They seem to turn everything around them, including themselves, to mush, Some foods just aren't meant to be cooked.

Hazelnut Coffee Cake            
oven to 350
for the streusel:
1/2 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1 cup hazelnuts
1  tsp cinnamon
4 Tbsp cold unsalted butter
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
for the batter:
1 stick, 8 Tbsp unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup sugar
2 large eggs
1/2 cup sour cream
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup cake flour
1 cup hazelnut flour (finely ground hazelnuts)
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt

• Make the streusel topping---In a small processor pulse to combine the sugar, cinnamon and hazelnuts until coarsely chopped..  Add the butter and vanilla and pulse briefly until it's a crumbly consistency. 
• Mix the flours, baking powder, baking soda and salt and set aside.
• With a hand mixer, or in the bowl of a stand mixer cream the butter and sugar until fluffy.  Add the eggs one at a time, and then blend in the sour cream and vanilla. 
• Fold in the flour mixture until everything is just combined.
• Spread the batter into a greased 9" spring form pan.  Spread it out evenly, it will be thick.
• Sprinkle the streusel evenly all over the top.
•  Bake for about 45 minutes until a toothpick comes out just about clean, maybe with a few moist crumbs sticking to it..  I draped a piece of foil over the top for the last 10 or so minutes of baking to prevent it from getting too brown,
• Cool for 15 minutes, then run a knife around the edges of the pan and carefully remove the cake.