Making Moravian Sugar Cake at home is easier than you might think. This sweet, pillowy cake features a rich dough topped with a buttery brown sugar mixture. With basic ingredients like yeast, milk, and flour, you can create this traditional cake in your own kitchen. The fluffy yeast dough paired with the caramelized sugar topping that forms after it’s baked in the oven makes this cake the perfect companion for your morning cup of coffee.
Make a Traditional Moravian Sugar Cake at Home
Kind of like focaccia bread, the yeast dough is dimpled throughout using your thumbs, allowing a buttery sugar topping to seep into the dough. It’s kind of like a cross between a coffee cake and a Kentucky butter cake, so you know it’s going to be good.
Unlike a streusel coffee cake, this recipe uses a simple yeast dough activated by warm water. This helps the dough to rise and gives the cake a fluffy texture. Then, we knead the dough and let it rise to create an airy crumb that is soft as can be.
The topping is the star of the show in this recipe. We use a combination of melted butter, brown sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg to create a warm sugar mixture that gets poured on top of the cake. As the cake bakes, the topping becomes caramelized, leaving a crunchy topping that melts in your mouth.
This is similar to a Dollywood Cinnamon bread in that you have a yeast dough that is covered in a sweet topping that is baked into the dough. However, it’s more like a coffe cake than a cinnamon roll.
This recipe makes two 8 x 8 inch cakes. Enjoy one right out of the oven and freeze the second to share with a friend.
What Is a Moravian Sugar Cake?
Moravian Sugar Cake has a special place in the heart of Southern baking, particularly in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, at Winkler’s Bakery in Old Salem.
Winston-Salem is the home of a previously restored Moravian village, where a large population of Moravians still reside today, carrying on this traditional recipe. This cake is often enjoyed during holidays and gatherings and is traditional served with coffee.
Pair it with your morning coffee or tea or as part of your weekend brunch. It’s also great for holiday mornings. I love this when it’s warm right out of the oven, but it’s also great at room temperature.
You can purchase these cakes from a couple of bakeries in North Carolina, but I can’t image that they would ship well. The homemade version only lasts a couple of days before it dries out.
Here’s Why You’ll Love It
- Traditional: This cake is filled with a rich history and tried-and-true taste that has been carried on through the generations, so you know it’s good.
- Simple: This cake uses simple pantry staples that you probably already have in your kitchen.
- Sweet and buttery: Using sugar and butter to make the dough and topping it off with a caramelized sugar topping gives this cake a lightly sweet yet rich flavor.
Ingredients You Need for This Recipe
- Dry ingredients: You’ll need all-purpose flour, active dry yeast or instant yeast, white sugar, brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt. Make sure the water is warm, around 110-115ºF to activate the yeast.
- Wet ingredients: You’ll need two large eggs, milk, and softened unsalted butter.
How to Make This Moravian Sugar Cake Recipe
Step One: Activate the Yeast
Start by placing the yeast in a small bowl with warm water and a pinch of sugar. Let it sit for about three minutes until it foams up nicely.
Step Two: Mix the Wet Ingredients
In a microwave-safe bowl, combine milk, butter, sugar, and salt. Heat it until the sugar dissolves, then let it cool until it’s warm to the touch.
Pro Tip
Make sure you allow the yeast to activate before adding it to the dough, or it won’t rise. You should see air bubbles pop up, letting you know it’s activated. If it doesn’t bubble up, you may have expired yeast or the water was too hot/cold.
Step Three: Combine and Knead
Add the milk mixture to your electric mixer, then stir in the activated yeast and beaten eggs. Gradually add flour until mixed, then use the dough hook to knead until smooth and not sticky.
Step Four: Let It Rise
Place the dough in a buttered bowl and cover it with plastic wrap. Let it rise in a warm spot until it doubles in size, which should take about an hour.
Pro Tip
For a warm place, try heating some water in the microwave. Once it’s boiling, turn the microwave off and place the dough in the microwave with the bowl of water and close the door. It will stay warm and humid.
Step Five: Prepare the Pans
Line two square pans with parchment paper and butter the sides. After the dough has risen, punch it down and divide it between the pans, spreading it out to the corners. Let it rise again for about 30 minutes. Use your thumbs to make dimples all over the top of the dough.
Step Six: Prepare the Topping
In a saucepan, melt butter, then whisk in brown sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg until it bubbles. Pour this mixture over the dough, spreading it out gently.
Step Seven: Bake and Enjoy
Bake the cakes until the tops are firm. Once they cool for a few minutes, use the parchment paper to lift them out. Serve them warm or at room temperature, and enjoy.
Storage
Store the cake in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days. After that, it’s best to freeze it as the cake gets dry in the fridge. Freeze for up to 3 months and let it thaw before eating. If you like, you can reheat a slice in the microwave for 10 seconds to warm it up, or wrap in aluminum foil and heat in the oven.
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Ingredients
Cake
- 1 package of yeast 2 ¼ teaspoons
- ½ cup warm water
- 1 cup milk
- ½ cup butter room temp (1 stick)
- ½ cup sugar
- 1 ½ teaspoon salt
- 2 eggs beaten
- 5 ½ cups flour
Topping
- 1 cup butter two sticks
- 2 cups brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon nutmeg
Instructions
- Place yeast in a small bowl and add warm water and a pinch of sugar. Allow to foam up, about 3 minutes.
- Add milk, butter, sugar and salt in a microwaveable bowl and heat for 1 1/2 minutes until the sugar has dissolved. Let cool until it is warm to the touch.
- Add milk mixture to a stand mixer and add dissolved yeast, and eggs. Add the flour, stirring until combined. Add the dough hook and knead until it is smooth and pulls away from the edges of the bowl about 3-5 minutes.. It should not be sticky.
- Place in a buttered bowl, covered in plastic wrap in a warm area and let rise until doubled, about 1 hour. When you poke your finger in the dough, the hole should stay intact.
- Place parchment paper in two 8 ½ x 81/2 inch square pans. Butter the sides and bottom.
- Punch down the dough and divide it between the two pans. Spread it out so that it reaches all four sides of the pans. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place for about 30 minutes until it has doubled.
- Preheat the oven to 350º.
- Use your thumb or fingers to make indentations all over the top of the dough.
- In a small saucepan melt the butter and add brown sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg. Whisk until it just starts to form bubbles. Then pour it over the dough, spreading it out with a spatula.
- Bake for 23-25 minutes, until the top is slightly firm. Let cool for about 5 minutes and use the parchment paper to remove from the pan. Serve warm or at room temperature.
Notes
- Sugar cake is best served warm
- You can refrigerate the dough overnight once you have spread it into the pans. Let it sit on the counter until the oven pre-heats then add the topping and bake.
