Basic Brunch

Photo source

Recently my officemate and I made brunch for our office. We used a couple classic recipes sent to me by good ol' Mom. (Thanks Mom!) Our menu: classic coffee cake, egg bake, fruit, coffee and juice. We received rave reviews and I promised I'd post the recipes online. So, without further ado . . .

Davenport Hotel Coffee Cake

The Davenport Hotel is a landmark in Spokane and huge source of community pride.

Ingredients

1 cup butter

2 cups sugar

2 eggs

1 cup sour cream or light sour cream

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

2 cups flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

Topping:

1 cupe walnuts or pecans, chopped

2 teaspoons cinnamon

2 tablespoons brown sugar

Butter angel food pan. Cream butter and sugar. Add eggs, sour cream and vanilla. Gradually add dry ingredients; mix until smooth. Spread half of batter in the pan.

Combine the nuts, cinnamon and brown sugar. Sprinkle half of the mixture over the batter in the pan. Add the remaining batter and sprinkle remaining nut mixture on top.

Bake at 350 degrees for 55 to 60 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.

Cool cake in pan, loosen sides with knife. Take it out with the 2 plate method. Turn it upside down on the first plate to get it out of the pan, then put the second plate on the bottom of the upside down cake and flip over.

Egg Bake

This recipe is from the Spokane Junior League cookbook. I'm not sure of the official name of the recipe or the book it came from.

Ingredients

1 pack refrigerated (not frozen) hashbrowns OR 2 cups chopped potatoes

9 eggs

1 16oz. container of cottage cheese

1 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese

1/2 cup shredded parmesan

1 1/2 cup diced ham (or other meat - I just used a little cooked bacon)

1/2 cup green onions, chopped

1 cup red bell pepper, chopped

1/2 cup flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt and pepper

Cook potatoes in a skillet (my mom skips this step when she's using a package of refrigerated hashbrowns)

Spread potatoes in bottom of 9 x 13 pan. In a bowl, whisk eggs together and add all other ingredients. Pour egg mixture over potatoes.

Bake in the top of the oven at 350 degrees for 35 to 45 minutes.

Variations: Leave out the meat for a vegetarian dish. Substitute flour for a gluten-free option.