Sweet Potato Coffee Cake with Gingersnap Streusel + The Best Part

When I think of coffee cake I think of warmth. Love. Community. Sunday mornings with family and friends, or maybe a great big Thanksgiving morning breakfast full of goodies to eat for the day. I think of surrounding myself with people I love, laughing and playing and being together. I believe that’s how life should be all the time: surrounded by loved ones and sharing the good stuff together. The bad stuff has a place too, because let’s face it – without the bad then the good just wouldn’t be as good – but sharing that good stuff? Now THAT is some pretty amazing sharing right there. My entire job is centered around the internet, and I’ve made no secret about the fact that these online relationships and this online community are part of the reason I just adore what I do so much. While there are certainly ways that being online can pull people apart, I choose to see and take advantage of the fact that this world wide web can be used as a source for so much good. I was watching TV the other morning and a piece came on about a homeless man who found $40,000 IN CASH and returned it to the rightful owner. He was given a plaque honoring his kindness, but a complete stranger who lived several states away saw the story online and felt that he deserved more. So this man, this stranger, brought even more strangers together and raised about $150,000 to give – freely give – this homeless man who was just doing the right thing.  Y’all, both of these men’s lives were completely changed. One man received an incredible sum of money that would help him so much with very important physical needs, but his kind heart changed the lives of so many other people just by seeing that honesty is not lost. We are not a generation devoid of caring. We are a people who are bound by and created in love – and these two guys are just another example of living that out. I know it sounds silly but coffee cake is a great reminder of that spirit. I don’t know a lot of people (anyone, really) who ever makes coffee cake just for themselves. Coffee cake, like coffee, is meant to be shared and lived over. It watches on as we celebrate life together, its sweetness just a small indication of the sweetness of hope and love in this world. Coffee cake brings community, and it brings a place that we can share life together – even this online internet life – where we all sit down and fill our hearts with love and stories of goodness and hope and optimism.

The Best Part is an online community that’s dedicated to brightening your day—every day. How? By spreading optimism, one share at a time. The Best Part posts inspirational stories, encouraging quotes, good news and other upbeat items on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram—and encourages fans and followers to share that optimism with their friends. Because when optimism is shared, it grows, making an even more positive impact on our world. Check out what others are sharing on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

SWEET POTATO COFFEE CAKE WITH GINGERSNAP STREUSEL For the cake:

• 1/2 cup butter, melted
• 1/2 cup Greek yogurt
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 2 whole eggs
• 1 cup sweet potato puree (homemade or canned – both work great!)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 cups flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt

For the streusel

• 3/4 cup gingersnap cookie crumbs (store-bought cookies work best for this)
• 1/4 cup old fashioned rolled oats
• 1/4 cup flour
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 1/3 cup butter, melted

Preheat oven to 350. For the cake, mix all wet ingredients – butter, yogurt, sugar, brown sugar, eggs, sweet potato puree and vanilla – together until smooth and glossy. Sift in the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt and mix until just combined. For the streusel, mix all of the ingredients together until the butter has coated everything. Grease a 9-inch square pan and pour half of the batter in, spreading all the way to the edges. Sprinkle half of the streusel mixture on top, spreading evenly. Pour the remaining batter on top of the streusel, spreading evenly to the edges of the pan and then spread evenly with the remaining streusel mixture. Bake at 350 for 45-55 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Let cool at least 10 minutes before serving!