Winklers Moravian Sugar Cake

Submitted by Steve P.

"This delicious coffee cake is courtesy of Winklers Bakery Winston/Salem North Carolina. It is traditional served as an Easter morning breakfast treat, but is an excellent coffee cake year round. The instant potatoes give the cake a nice texture and flavor."

 

• Ready In: 3hrs 15mins
• Ingredients: 15
• Serves: 6

ingredients

• 2 (1/4 ounce) packages active dry yeast
• 1⁄2 teaspoon sugar
• 1⁄2 cup water (110 F)
• 3⁄4 cup water
• 1⁄2 cup sugar
• 2 tablespoons non-fat powdered milk
• 1⁄4 cup instant mashed potatoes
• 1⁄2 teaspoon salt
• 1⁄2 cup melted cooled butter
• 2 eggs
• 3 cups flour
• butter

• For Topping

• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1⁄2 cup melted cooled butter

directions

1. Sprinkle yeast and 1/2 teaspoon sugar into the 1/2 cup of warm water.
2. Set aside until yeast bubbles, and mixture is foamy.
3. Add the next 7 ingredients, and about 1 cup of flour. (note: The instant mashed potatoes are used as dry flakes the way they come from the package).
4. Beat with a wooden spoon.
5. Add remaining flour or a little more if needed, until bread dough consistency.
6. Place in a greased bowl and turn it to coat.
7. Dot dough with butter, and let it rise until double in size, about 1 hour.
8. Then, punch dough down, and place in a greased shallow baking pan (about 17 x 12 inches) Let rise 30 minutes, then sprinkle with brown sugar and cinnamon. Note: one reviewer commented "The 3 cups flour became about 7 to make it a workable dough. Must be an error in the recipe" There is no mistake in the recipe; this is a cake with a soft dough, not a bread. The term "workable" does not apply here; the soft dough will rise right in the pan. This is not a bread where you are continually kneading it into something that must be shaped. Had the reviewer simply patted it into the pan and let it rise in the pan it should have been fine. The mistake was adding all that extra flour and treating it like a bread.
9. Now the fun begins.
10. As if you're playing the piano, punch your fingers into the dough making indentations.
11. Pour on remaining 1/2 cup of butter, and let dough rise another 30 minutes.
12. Bake in a preheated 375ºF for 12 to 15 minutes until golden brown.
13. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Reviews

[Junebug]

Great recipe and wonderful results. I used only 3 cups of flour and it worked beautifully. The dough is sticky but since you are not kneading it, it is best to keep it that way and not add more flour. I used my stand mixer, which made it much easier to put together. The result was a light and tender texture - not as dense as the store bought but very delicious. I plan on making this again and again.

 

[caklahr]

My sister leads a group of church members at our Moravian Church in the mixing and baking of Moravian Sugar Cakes as a church fundraiser and for eating during our Lovefeast services. So, I have grown up in Pennsylvania eating Moravian Sugar Cake. Last year, we visited Winklers during a trip to Winston-Salem, and I bought one of their Moravian Sugar Cakes. It was moist and delicious, so I was excited to find this recipe online. I've made it a few times and found that I like it better than the recipe that our church uses. (Even my sister raved about it!) I followed the directions exactly... including only using 3 CUPS OF FLOUR. That is all that is needed! The 1/4 cup of instant mashed potato flakes is an important part of Moravian Sugar Cake. I look forward to making this again and sharing it with our local Moravian congregation.

 

[cokiethebaby]

I am from & live in Winston-Salem & also Moravian. This is a delicious recipe & easy to follow. I have never made a sugar cake because my church cookbook recipes call for mashed potatoes instead of instant. This turned out lighter the Winklers, maybe they use mashed potatoes to make it a heavier texture. In the end this is a keeper. You can't go wrong with the cinnamon sugar buttery goodness ;)

 

[fjincanton]

I grew up in Winston-Salem and going to Deweys for their sugar cake. It was amazing. A few years ago, the jacked up the price and changed the ingredients. Unfortunately, Dewey's isn't quite the same as in the past. I hate to say, I don't think I've ever tried Winklers. That said, on a whim, I tried this recipe. I didn't have powdered milk or instant potatoes. I used 1/4 cup 2% milk in place of some water and ignored the potatoes. My bread mix was wet (very thick pancake batter) but otherwise turned out fine. I probably should have used an extra cup of flour. Overall, the recipe is nearly a match for the Moravian Sugar Cake I know. Next time, I'll use the instant potatoes and powdered milk. Thanks for the recipe.

 

[gracesmama]

I made a few adjustments and made the batter in my bread machine. It worked great and makes it possible to do more than once a year. Every get together I am asked to bring my Sugar Cake and it's do-able.