Crumb cakes and quickbreads

I could have sworn I posted these two cakes, but apparently I didn't because the photos were still in my "to post" folder. So here goes:

The cake above, a raspberry sour cream crumb cake, is a really excellent and rather large crumb cake from the Williams Sonoma cookbook Muffins. It is dense, moist, great with coffee (or tea if you prefer), and has a crumb layer on top. What is really special about this cake are the fresh raspberries nestled between the cake batter and the crumble layer. The sour cream makes the cake moist, tender, and ever so slightly tangy. I'm all for substituting fat free yogurt for sour cream, but I'd hesitate to do it here--it does alter the texture and flavor slightly and I'm not sure it would be for the better in this case. On the same line, use full fat sour cream; the fat is what makes the cake tender and without oil or butter this cake is light enough already.

Crumb cakes, coffee cakes, quickbreads, and their ilk can easily be grouped together. All of them are sweet, simple, and make a great afternoon snack. Generally, though certainly not always, they are made with liquid fat--sour cream, melted butter, etc--and require minimal effort to prepare. They tend to be less sweet than a normal cake and need no adornment with, perhaps, the exception of a simple glaze. As I mentioned they all make a good afternoon snack or even breakfast, served with a cup of coffee or--if you prefer--tea. This chocolate chip quickbread was no exception. A tender, moist cake with small chips and shavings of chocolate folded into a buttermilk spiked batter, this cake positively screams for a cup of coffee. Although I'd certainly eat it plain if push came to shove!