Daydreams and Coffee Cake

There are days when you just don't want to think about the real world, whether that includes aspects of your own personal reality such as your job, the state of the world in general, or the things that creep into your mind in the middle of the night to wake you up and stop you from sleeping. Some days you want to pull the covers over your head and linger in bed as long as you can. Some days you don't want to face things head on, but rather you want a temporary reprieve, a day filled with moments unhampered by "shoulds." And maybe this is escapist, but there are some days when you want to lounge around in your jammies and exchange funny stories with your partner, ignore all clocks and other expectations, and then get bundled up in warm clothes to take a leisurely walk in the park and watch the snow fall together.

Such days aren't made for responsibility, problem-solving, and deep thought. Such days are made for comfy clothes and coffee cake and daydreaming about good things. And yes, such things might be indulgent and luxurious, but sometimes they are also necessary.

Here is one of my favorite recipes for you if you feel the need to indulge in such a day.

Sarah Kramer's Cinnamon-Walnut Coffee Cake (from La Dolce Vegan, p.41)
Topping:
1/2 cup sugar
1tsp ground cinnamon
2tbsp vegan margarine
3/4 cup walnuts, chopped (I think I used closer to 1 cup)

Cake:
1 and 1/2 cups flour
1/2 cup sugar
1tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 cup vegan sour cream
1/3 cup oil
1/2 cup vegan milk
1 tsp vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350 and lightly oil an 8x8 inch baking pan and set aside. (I used non-stick spray in a round pie pan) In a small bowl, stir together topping ingredients and set aside. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Stir in sour cream, oil, milk, and vanilla. Pour evenly into baking pan then sprinkle topping evenly over the top. Bake 30-35 minutes.