Cinnamon Coffee Cake
Ground cinnamon gives the topping for this coffee cake its signature zing; the cake itself gets an extra boost of flavor from cinnamon extract. The cinnamon oil was too much! Next time I will try it with cinnamon extract. The cake, filling and crumb were superb
Ground cinnamon gives the topping for this coffee cake its signature zing; the cake itself gets an extra boost of flavor from cinnamon extract. The cinnamon oil was too much! Next time I will try it with cinnamon extract. The cake, filling and crumb were superb
- 2 eggs
- 1 cup milk
- 2 1/2 tsp. baking powder
- 1/3 cup pecans finely chopped
- 16 tbsp. unsalted butter melted, plus more for pan
- 3 3/4 cups flour plus more for pan
- 1 1/4 cups sugar ( plus 2 tsp)
- 6 tbsp. packed light brown sugar ( plus 1.5 tsp)
- 2 tbsp. ground cinnamon ( plus 0.5 tsp)
- 1 1/4 tsp. kosher salt
- 6 tbsp. sour cream
- 2 1/4 tsp. vanilla extract
- cinnamon extract
- Carbohydrate 130.768785625 g
- Cholesterol 592.25 mg
- Fat 40.38666625 g
- Fiber 4.30932503768119 g
- Protein 28.5266720833333 g
- Saturated Fat 19.288292625 g
- Serving Size 1 1 Serving (344g)
- Sodium 496.6003125 mg
- Sugar 126.459460587319 g
- Trans Fat 4.40815799999999 g
- Calories 997 calories
Step-by-step
- Heat oven to 325?. Grease an 8" x 8" baking pan with a little butter and sprinkle with a little flour; set aside. Make topping: In a bowl, mix 8 tbsp. melted butter, 1/4 cup sugar, 6 tbsp. brown sugar, 2 tbsp. ground cinnamon, and 1/2 tsp. salt until smooth. Add 1 1/2 cups flour; mix with a fork until crumbly; chill. Make filling: In a bowl, mix remaining brown sugar, 2 tsp. sugar, 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon, and pecans; set filling aside.
- Make cake batter: In another bowl, whisk together remaining flour, sugar, salt, and baking powder; set aside. In a large measuring cup, whisk together remaining butter, milk, sour cream, vanilla, cinnamon extract, and eggs until smooth. Pour wet ingredients over dry ingredients; whisk to combine. Pour half the batter into prepared baking pan. Sprinkle filling over top; pour remaining batter over it. Break up reserved topping with fingers; sprinkle over top; bake until a toothpick inserted into middle of cake comes out clean, about 1 hour 15 minutes. Let cool before serving.
How do you know when a dense, heavily layered cake is truly baked through to the center without resorting to a digital thermometer? Baking this style of pastry requires trusting physical feedback, specifically inserting a wooden toothpick into the geometric middle of the pan and checking that it emerges entirely free of wet batter or heavy, clinging crumbs. Because this recipe uses a substantial quantity of melted butter and sour cream to maintain a tender crumb, the interior retains significant moisture even when fully set. Watch for the edges to pull away slightly from the sides of the metal pan, and press the top gently with a fingertip; it should spring back rather than leave an indentation. The chemical interaction between the dairy's lactic acid and the baking powder provides the primary lift, reacting to create carbon dioxide bubbles that expand within the flour network during the first thirty minutes at 325 degrees Fahrenheit. Cinnamon extract introduces concentrated aromatic compounds directly into the fat phase of the batter, pairing with ground cinnamon in the streusel to distribute flavor uniformly across both the interior crumb and the buttery exterior crust. Chilling the streusel mixture before application prevents the butter from melting prematurely into the batter, ensuring distinct, crisp crumbs remain intact during the lengthy seventy-five-minute bake.
