Apple Pear Coffee Cake
A friend gave me this recipe to make for a breakfast I was hosting. The pan was empty before the breakfast was over! It's one of my most-requested recipes, probably because it's a bit different. -Joanne Hoschette, Paxton, Massachusetts
A friend gave me this recipe to make for a breakfast I was hosting. The pan was empty before the breakfast was over! It's one of my most-requested recipes, probably because it's a bit different. -Joanne Hoschette, Paxton, Massachusetts
- 2 eggs
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 cup brown sugar packed
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 cup sour cream
- 3 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 cup chopped pecans
- topping:
- 1/2 cup butter softened
- 1-1/4 cups apples chopped peeled
- 1/2 cup pear chopped peeled
- 2 tablespoons cold butter
- Carbohydrate 56.6442507590476 g
- Cholesterol 103.537500028994 mg
- Fat 31.0710093194451 g
- Fiber 1.6076194763374 g
- Protein 4.86832166878879 g
- Saturated Fat 17.5218990627052 g
- Serving Size 1 1 - (166g)
- Sodium 5127.35119430443 mg
- Sugar 55.0366312827102 g
- Trans Fat 2.20149930651084 g
- Calories 515 calories
Step-by-step
- In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs and vanilla. Combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt; add to creamed mixture alternately with sour cream. Fold in apples and pear. Pour into a greased 13-in. x 9-in. baking dish.
- In a small bowl, combine brown sugar and cinnamon. Cut in butter until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Stir in pecans. Sprinkle over batter.
- Bake at 350° for 35-40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack.
A dense, golden crumb emerges from the oven topped with a sandy mantle of cinnamon, brown sugar, and toasted pecans. Baking this coffee cake in smaller spaces requires careful management of bulky tools. When handling dense batters studded with fruit, a stand mixer is helpful, but a standard handheld electric mixer paired with a large stainless steel mixing bowl prevents crowding restricted counter space. A 13-in. x 9-in. glass or metal baking dish provides the necessary surface area for the batter to spread evenly without spilling over the edges during the 35 to 40 minute bake time at 350 degrees.
Chemical Mechanics of the Crumb
Acids present in the sour cream react directly with the alkaline baking soda and baking powder. This dual leavening system generates carbon dioxide bubbles that lift the heavy batter, counteracting the weight of the chopped apples and peeled pears folded directly into the mixture. Sour cream also introduces dairy fats that shorten gluten strands, yielding a tender, moist interior crumb despite the high volume of all-purpose flour.
- Ensure butter is fully softened to room temperature before creaming to incorporate optimal air pockets.
- Cut cold butter into the brown sugar and cinnamon topping until the pieces resemble coarse peas.
- Test doneness by inserting a wooden toothpick into the exact center; it should emerge free of wet batter.
- Allow the baked cake to cool completely on a wire rack to stabilize the internal moisture before slicing.
