Cinnamon Pecan Crunch Cake (Printable Version)
Moist coffee cake layered with cinnamon sugar and crunchy toasted pecans, ideal for breakfast or dessert.
# What You Need:
→ Crunch Topping and Filling
01 - 1 cup chopped pecans
02 - 2/3 cup packed light brown sugar
03 - 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
04 - 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
05 - 1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted
→ Cake Batter
06 - 2 cups all-purpose flour
07 - 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
08 - 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
09 - 1/2 teaspoon salt
10 - 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
11 - 1 cup granulated sugar
12 - 2 large eggs
13 - 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
14 - 1 cup sour cream or plain yogurt
# Method:
01 - Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease a 9x13-inch baking dish or a 9-inch round springform pan.
02 - In a medium bowl, combine the chopped pecans, brown sugar, cinnamon, flour, and melted butter. Mix until crumbly and set aside.
03 - In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
04 - In a large mixing bowl, beat the softened butter and granulated sugar until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Mix in the vanilla extract.
05 - Alternately add the dry ingredient mixture and the sour cream to the butter mixture, starting and ending with the flour. Mix until just combined without overmixing.
06 - Spread half of the cake batter evenly into the prepared pan. Sprinkle half of the cinnamon pecan crunch mixture over the batter.
07 - Spread the remaining batter on top and finish with the remaining pecan crunch mixture.
08 - Bake for 40 to 45 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
09 - Allow to cool for 20 minutes before slicing and serving.
# Expert Tricks:
01 -
- The sour cream in the batter keeps every slice incredibly moist, even days after baking, which means this is one of those rare cakes that actually tastes better on day two.
- That cinnamon pecan crunch layer running through the middle and over the top gives you texture contrast in every single bite, so no one ever picks at just one part.
02 -
- I learned the hard way that overmixing the batter after adding the flour turns a tender coffee cake into something closer to a rubbery pancake, so stop stirring the moment the last streak of dry flour disappears.
- Adding half the crunch mixture inside the cake rather than just on top was a game changer I discovered by accident, and now I refuse to make it any other way.
03 -
- If your brown sugar has hardened into a rock, microwave it with a damp paper towel for about 20 seconds and it will soften right up for measuring.
- Room temperature eggs and sour cream blend into the batter far more smoothly than cold ones, so pull those out when you start preheating the oven.