〈 swipe for more photos 〉
If you’re craving something sweet and comforting in the middle of the holiday bustle, this warm & cozy Cinnamon Pecan Coffee Cake is the kind of bake that instantly softens the day. It’s spiced, wonderfully tender, and both filled and topped with a buttery pecan crumble.
What’s to love
- A cinnamon swirl that actually shows up. Instead of fading into the crumb, this swirl melts into little pockets of warmth that run through the cake and make every slice feel special.
- Buttermilk batter for a plush, tender crumb. This isn’t a dry or crumbly coffee cake – the buttermilk keeps it soft and the batter bakes into a tender, thick and plush cake.
- Tested until perfected. We don’t do untested recipes around here, so when this cake didn’t come out just the way we wanted it to be – we tested and re-tested it many times over until it was perfect.
This cake is lovely on its own, or served warm alongside a quiet morning coffee before the holiday rush begins. If you’re a fan of cozy baking and cinnamon rolls (or apple butter cinnamon rolls!), but don’t want to wait for a dough to rise – this is the treat to bake!
Printable recipe
Ingredients
Filling/topping:
- 1¼ cups light brown sugar
- 1½ cups chopped pecans
- 2-3 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- ¼ cup melted butter
Batter:
- 1 cup butter (softened)
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2½ cups scooped flour (OR 3 cups spooned and levelled (≈ 360–375 g))
- 2½ tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp baking soda
- ½ tsp salt
- 1¼ cups buttermilk
Tips
- Measure the flour correctly: Most old-school coffee cake recipes call for 3 cups of flour. However, they mean 3 cups measured correctly (=spooned and levelled). If you’re a flour scooper, use 2 ½ cups. The safest way is to weigh out your flour if you have kitchen scales. Using too much flour makes this cake dense and gummy/taste floury!
- Buttermilk substitute: If you don’t have buttermilk on hand, use 1 cup and 3 tablespoons milk, stirred together with 1 tablespoon white vinegar (leave it to sit for 5 minutes before using it, it will thicken and curdle.)
- Storage: Store covered at room temperature for up to 1 day or refrigerate in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
Instructions
- Prep:Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease a ~9×13 inch glass or ceramic dish. Get your ingredients ready.
- Make filling:Combine brown sugar, pecans and ground cinnamon; set aside.1¼ cups light brown sugar, 1½ cups chopped pecans, 2-3 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- Make creamed mixture:Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy; beat in eggs and vanilla until smooth.1 cup butter, 1 cup granulated sugar, 2 large eggs, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Make batter:Whisk dry ingredients in a separate bowl, then alternate flour and buttermilk into the creamed mixture, beginning and ending with flour (doing this in ~3 batches seems to be the magic spot).Important: Mix just until no streaks remain – overmixing makes it dense!2½ cups scooped flour, 2½ tsp baking powder, ½ tsp baking soda, ½ tsp salt, 1¼ cups buttermilk
- Assemble:Spread half of the batter in the prepared pan, sprinkle with half the filling, then repeat with remaining batter and topping.
- Add butter drizzle:Drizzle melted butter evenly over the top – this creates that crisp, caramelized layer.¼ cup melted butter
- Bake:Bake 35–45 minutes at 350°F, or until golden and a toothpick comes out clean. If the top browns too quickly, tent loosely with foil.
- Cool and serve:Cool in the pan on a cooling rack for 20-30 minutes before slicing. Serve warm or at room temp with coffee or a little whipped cream.
Cinnamon Pecan Coffee Cake
make your kitchen smell like home?Coffee cake FAQs
First and foremost, use the correct ratios of ingredients for the batter. Using too much or too little flour yields an off texture, and using too much baking powder or baking soda can create a metallic taste and cause the cake to collapse.
Also, the correct mixing technique for the cake is important. Take your time creaming the butter and sugar, and beat in the eggs until fully incorporated. However, once you add the flour, only mix on LOW speed and stop as soon as no more dry flour is visible.
Undermixing the butter/sugar/eggs stops the cake from rising properly, while overmixing the flour makes the cake tough and gummy!
No, which sounds strange at first – but the term “coffee cake” commonly refers to a simple, unfrosted cake to be enjoyed alongside a cup of coffee, not a coffee-flavored cake.
It’s always best to use ingredients you’ve taken out of the fridge around 20-30 minutes before you bake your cake. The butter must be fully softened (not melted) for best results.
The colder your eggs and buttermilk are, the more likely your batter is to curdle. However, alternating with flour does help combat this, so as long as you don’t use ingredients straight from the fridge, your cake will be fine.
Correct, there is only a light butter drizzle on top. We tested this recipe many times, and adding butter to the filling, or drizzling too much on top, makes the cake too dense and greasy.
Comments
No Comments