Cinnamon Pecan Coffee Cake
If you want a truly cozy, ultra-soft Cinnamon Pecan Coffee Cake (with a beautiful cinnamon swirl and a crunchy, buttery pecan streusel) - this is the one!
Servings: 12 slices
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
Instructions
- Prep:Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease a ~9x13 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.
Notes
- 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.