Breakfast Breads: Coffee Cake (Flour Bakery)

By SharonE

Ingredients

• Streusel
• 3 tablespoons light brown sugar
• 1/3 cup (70 grams) granulated sugar
• 3/4 cup (75 grams) pecan halves, toasted and chopped
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
• 3 tablespoons cake flour
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter at room temperature (1/4 stick)
• Cake
• 2 1/2 cups (300 grams) cake flour
• 3/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 1/2 cups (300 grams) granulated sugar
• 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons unsalted butter at room temperature, cut into 10-12 pieces
• 3 large eggs at room temperature
• 1 large egg yolk
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 3/4 cup (180 grams) creme fraiche

Preparation

Step 1

Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees F.  Butter and flour a 10-inch tube pan with a removable insert.

To make the streusel: In a food processor, combine the brown sugar, 1/3 cup granulated sugar, pecans, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, 3 tablespoons flour, and butter and pulse for about 20 seconds or until the mixture comes together roughly. Don't pulse too long. You want to chop the ingredients coarsely to make a crumbly mix.  Transfer to a medium bowl and set aside. It should be about 1 1/2 cups. (The streusal can be stored in airtight container in fridge for 1 week or freezer for 1 month)

To make the cake: Using a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, mix together the 2 1/2 cups flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar on low speed just until well mixed. Add the butter a few pieces at a time and continue to beat on low speed for 3-4 minutes or until the butter is well incorporated into the dry ingredients.  The mixture will look like coarse meal.  In a small bowl, whisk together the eggs, egg yolk, vanilla and creme fraiche until thoroughly mixed.  On low speed, slowly pour about half of the egg mixture into the flour mixture and mix until combined.  Turn up the mixer speed to medium and beat the batter for about 1 1/2 minutes. The mixture will go from looking thick and clumpy and yellowish to light and fluffy and whitish.  Stop once or twice to scrape sides and bottom of bowl, making sure all of the ingredients are mixed in. Turn down the mixer to low speed, add the remaining egg mixture and beat for about 30 seconds or until combined. Again, stop once or twice to scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl.

Spoon about 1 1/2 cups of the batter into the bowl holding the streusel, and then fold the streusel and the batter together until well mixed.  Scrape all of the non-streusel batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top. Then, top with the streusel batter, spreading it in an even layer and smoothing it.  Bake for  55-70 minutes or until the top of the cake is golden brown and bounces back when you touch it near the center.  Let cool in pan on a wire rack for at least 3 hours or until completely cool.  Then, remove the cake from the pan.

The cake can be stored in an airtight container at room temp for up to 2 days or well wrapped and frozen up to 2 weeks.