German Potato Coffee Cake

Here’s a cake that’s made with potato – and it’s easy and delicious! It’s heritage is German, and it’s called a coffee cake as it’s traditionally served with morning or afternoon coffee.

This recipe is blast from the past – I found it in my original hand written cookery journal. “Tracy” a friend from those days, and a fine cook, had passed on the recipe.

I made it again this week, when asked to provide some potato recipes for the program for the play The Appleton Ladies’ Potato Race.

It seemed a good enough reason to revive an unusual and favourite recipe from the past!

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Cake
2 medium potatoes
¾ cup sugar
1 cup sultanas
¼ cup chopped mixed peel
1 ½ cups full fat milk
1 tablespoon lemon juice
3 cups self raising flour

Topping
1/2 cup sugar
½ cup self raising flour, sifted 
4 tablespoons butter
2 teaspoons cinnamon

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Preheat the oven to 180 degrees C or 160 degrees C fan. Grease a 22cm springform pan and line the base with baking paper.

Peel the potatoes and put into a large saucepan and cover with water. Bring to the boil and cook until tender. Drain and mash well without any butter or milk. 

Add the sugar and beat well. Add the sultanas, mixed peel, milk and lemon juice and mix well. Fold in the sifted flour and spoon the mixture into the prepared tin.

To make the topping, rub the butter into the combined dry ingredients,

Crumble the topping over the cake, Bake for 45 – 60 minutes, or until a skewer inserted into the cake comes out clean. The cake can be quite moist so may need that extra time. Keep checking after 45 minutes.

When cooked, remove from the oven and leave to rest for 15 minutes.

Remove the sides of the springform pan. Carefully remove from the base of the springform pan, peeling off the baking paper.

Serve on its own or with a little cream!