Apple-Pecan Coffee Cake

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Nothing is more warming and comforting on a brisk autumn day than coffee cake. Not to mention that it’s the perfect excuse for indulging your sweet tooth first thing in the morning.




A form of quick bread, coffee cakes are easy to assemble, too. Put one in the oven. Make a pot of coffee. And your family and house guests will awake to a tantalizing aroma profile – caffeine wafting with cinnamon, toasted pecans, brown sugar and butter. Add sliced apples to the mix, and you have the perfect paean to fall.




Sour cream or vegetable oil ensure moistness. But coffee cakes needn’t be gussied up with toppings. A coffee cake can be pure and plain.




Just keep the cake beside the coffee pot and let your guests help themselves. It’s a magnet for nibblers. And when you want to take a homemade treat to a brunch – or even a wake – you really should consider the coffee cake.

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  • 12

Ingredients

  • Coffee cake:
  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 2 cups self-rising flour
  • 1 cup sour cream
  • 1 large apple
  • 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
  • 1/4 cup brown sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
  • Topping:
  • 2 tablespoons flour
  • 1/2 cup dark brown sugar, packed
  • 1/4 cup unsalted butter
  • 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
  • 1 1/2 cups pecan halves
  • 1/2 cup raisins
  • Icing:
  • 1/2 cup confectioners’ sugar
  • 4 teaspoons milk
  • 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preparation

Step 1

Preheat oven to 350 F. Grease a 9- or 10-inch spring-form cake pan with butter. (You may also use a 9-inch square or 13-by-9-inch pan.) To make the cake: Cream sugar and butter in a large mixing bowl until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs and vanilla. Add the 2 cups of flour alternately with the sour cream, beginning and ending with the flour and mixing well after each addition. Spread batter in greased pan.

Core the apple (no need to peel) and slice into 1/4 inch slices. Place in medium bowl. Sprinkle with lemon juice, brown sugar and cinnamon. Toss well to coat, and place apple slices in a circle around the top of the batter.

To make the topping: Pulse flour, brown sugar, butter and cinnamon in a food-processor bowl until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Dump into a bowl, and stir in the pecan halves and raisins so that they are coated with the brown-sugar mixture. Sprinkle topping evenly on cake.

Bake for 1 hour, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Allow the cake to cool in the pan on a wire rack for 30 minutes.

To make the icing: Mix confectioners’ sugar, milk and vanilla in a small bowl.

When cake is cool, remove the side of the spring-form pan, and place cake on a plate or stand. Drizzle with icing. Cut into wedges and serve warm.

Nutrition information:
Per serving
482 calories
26 g fat (11 g saturated, 47 percent fat calories)
5 g protein
60 g carbohydrates
75 mg cholesterol
3 g fiber
295 mg sodium


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