It’s Like Eating a Hug

When was the last time you enjoyed a homemade coffee cake? Not one that you pick up at the grocery store or deli, or that comes from an overpriced bakery and has twice as much streusel as cake. A real coffee cake that is both moist and crunchy, has layers of gooey goodness in the middle, and fills the house with the smell of warm cinnamon and toasted pecans.

Homemade Coffee Cake demands to be cut into hunks. Leave the thin slices for birthday cakes!

Sometimes Life Demands Homemade Coffee Cake

We’re living in a unique moment of time where most of us could use a little comfort in our lives. Baking is an activity that offers comfort at every step in the process. From losing yourself in the focus of following the recipe, to impatiently waiting for the cake to cool enough to cut it, and finally being able to taste the culmination of your efforts come to life. Best of all, it makes everyone feel happy, even if for only a moment in time.

Our clean-up crew was on standby but ultimately disappointed that our plates of Homemade Coffee Cake were licked clean.

THE RECIPE: Homemade Coffee Cake

Ingredients

Streusel

3/4 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup packed dark brown sugar
2 Tablespoons cinnamon
2 Tablespoons unsalted butter, cut in half and chilled
1 cup of pecans, roughly chopped

Cake

12 Tablespoons unsalted butter, cubed into small pieces and softened
2 Tablespoons butter to grease the pan
4 eggs
1 1/2 cups sour cream
1 Tablespoon vanilla extract
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 Tablespoon baking powder
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon salt

Step 1: Make the Streusel

Process flour, granulated sugar, 1/4 cup dark brown sugar, and cinnamon in food processor until combined, about 15 seconds. Move 1 1/4 cups of flour/sugar mixture to a bowl, then stir in left over 1/4 cup brown sugar and set aside (this will be the streusel filling). Add butter and pecans to mixture that remains in food processor; pulse 10 times, or until nuts and butter look like small pebbles, then set aside (this will be the streusel topping).

Step 2: Make the Batter

Adjust oven rack to lowest position, preheat to 350 degrees. Grease 10″ or 12″ bundt or tube pan (if you use tube don’t use one with a removable bottom) with the 2 Tablespoons of butter.

In a medium bowl whisk together the eggs, 1 cup of sour cream, and vanilla until smooth and combined. Set aside.

In the of a standing mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, combine flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Mix until just combined, about 30 seconds on low speed. Add butter and 1/2 cup sour cream and mix on low speed until dry ingredients are moistened and look like wet sand, about 1 1/2 minutes. Increase speed to medium and beat 10 seconds for the batter to come together.  Reduce speed to medium-low and add egg mixture in 3 parts, beating for 20 seconds after each addition and scraping down sides of bowl. Increase speed to medium-high and beat about 1 minute until batter is light and fluffy.

Step 3: Fill the Pan

Measure and spread 2 cups batter in bottom of the pan, smoothing the surface with a spatula. Sprinkle 3/4 cup streusel filling (mixture without nuts). Do the same with 2 more cups of batter and left over streusel filling. Gently smooth remaining batter on top then sprinkle with streusel topping.

Step 4: Bake

Bake about 50-60 minutes, until the top of the cake is firm and a tester comes out clean. Cool your cake in its pan on a wire rack 30 minutes. Place a rimmed baking sheet on top of the cake, invert, remove pan, put a wire rack on top of cake, and flip one last time to re-invert cake so it is streusel-side up (I’m not going to lie, this process makes a bit of a mess). Cool until room temperature before cutting, about 2 hours.

Please tell us what you think. We really want to know!

Tell us what you think!

Please comment below if you try our Homemade Coffee Cake recipe and let us know how it goes!  Find all of Brooklyn to the Catskills‘ recipes in the Food section of our website.  We’d love to hear what you think about our other recipes too!