Desperate Measures

I have a big sweet tooth, if it contains sugar (or even sugar substitute), I want it. Well, today was one of those days where I arrived home from work feeling cold, worn out and anti-social. Oh yeah, and really craving something sweet. Tomorrow is grocery day and I really didn't have much in the house to make sweets, especially notable was the lack of fruit, confectioner's sugar, white sugar, butter and milk. ARGH! I couldn't come up with anything. So I collected my thoughts and figured since I didn't have milk or butter I would have to whip up something Vegan. I came across Peanut Butter Coffee Cake at VegCooking.com and it hit the spot wondrous well. Granted, my version didn't turn out vegan and I had to fudge it a bit as well. I used real eggs (yes, I'm going to hell), I substituted water for Soy Milk, and I used oil instead of margarine. I know this sounds like a mess but it came out perfect, delicious and it tamed my sugar craving. Perhaps one more piece? Ah, if only I had a cold glass of milk. Oh, here it is...

Peanut Butter Coffee Cake
Serve this delight at your next brunch, and it will be gone before your guests can say, “Another cup of java, please!”

For the topping:

1/2 cup packed light-brown sugar
1/2 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
1/4 cup peanut butter
3 Tbsp. margarine

For the cake:

2 1/4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1 cup packed brown sugar
2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
1 cup soy milk
1/2 cup peanut butter
Egg Replacer equivalent of 2 eggs
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) margarine

• Preheat the oven to 375ºF. Grease a 9 x 13-inch baking pan.
• For the topping, mix the brown sugar and flour. With a pastry knife, a fork, or your fingers, cut in the peanut butter and margarine until crumbly; set aside.
• For the cake, combine the flour, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Add the soy milk, peanut butter, egg replacer, and margarine. Beat until smooth, about 3 minutes with an electric mixer. Pour into the baking pan and sprinkle with the topping. Bake for 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Preparation time: 20 minutes Baking time: 30 minutes
Makes 12 servings