Cinnamon Streusel Coffee Cake

Who was the genius who dreamed up the idea of putting the word coffee in front of the word cake to make it a perfectly acceptable breakfast food?  Personally, I think that every slice of cake should be accompanied by a steaming cup of hot coffee but that's just MY opinion.

I am not a morning coffee drinker but I do like to eat coffee cake in the morning.  I don't want to offend any true coffee cake aficionados but I like to enjoy my coffee cake without the coffee.  I guess that means that I'm really just eating cake for breakfast.

I got this recipe from Martha Stewart.  In my opinion, her recipes tend to be a little more complicated than they have to be - so I simplified.

Cinnamon Streusel Coffee Cake

Ingredients

• FOR THE STREUSEL TOPPING AND CENTER

  • 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 cup packed light-brown sugar
  • 1 1/4 teaspoons ground cinnamon
  • Coarse salt
  • 1 1/2 sticks cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
  • 1 1/2 cups coarsely chopped toasted pecans

• FOR THE CAKE

  • 1 stick unsalted butter, room temperature, plus more for pan
  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 1/4 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • Coarse salt
  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
  • 1 cup sour cream

• FOR THE GLAZE

  • 1 cup confectioners' sugar
  • 2 tablespoons whole milk

Directions

Make the streusel topping: Mix together flour, 3/4 cup brown sugar, 1 teaspoon cinnamon, and 1 teaspoon salt. Cut in butter using a pastry cutter or rub in with your fingers until small to medium clumps form. Mix in 1/2 cup pecans. Refrigerate until ready to use.  (OK - I cheated and pulsed my ingredients together in my food processor.  Don't tell Martha)

Make the streusel center: Mix together remaining 1/4 cup brown sugar, 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon, and 1 cup pecans.

 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Make the cake: Butter a 9-inch tube pan with a removable bottom. Sift flour, baking powder, baking soda, and 1/2 teaspoon salt into a bowl.

Beat butter and granulated sugar with a mixer on medium speed until pale and fluffy, about 2 minutes. 

Beat in eggs, 1 at a time, then vanilla.

Beat in flour mixture in 3 additions, alternating with sour cream, beginning and ending with flour. Continue to beat until well combined.

Spoon half the batter into pan. 

Sprinkle streusel center mixture evenly over batter.

Top with remaining batter, and spread evenly using an offset spatula.

Sprinkle streusel topping mixture evenly over batter.

Bake until cake is golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, about 55 minutes.

Transfer pan to a wire rack, and let cool completely. Remove cake from pan, and transfer to parchment. 

Make the glaze: Mix together confectioners' sugar and milk.






Drizzle over cake, and let drip down sides. Let set for 5 minutes before serving.

There you go - with coffee - or without - its delicious either way.  

Ciao!