Cinnamon Pecan Coffee Cake

Cinnamon Pecan Coffee Cake

Recipe adapted from Southern Cakes
Makes one Bundt cake

Cake

Ingredients:

• 3 cups cake flour
• 1 tbsp. baking powder
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1/2 tsp. Madagascar double-fold vanilla extract
• 1 cup milk
• 1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened
• 1 cup sugar
• 2 eggs

Cinnamon Filling

Ingredients:

• 1½ cups light brown sugar
• 3 tbsp. all-purpose flour
• 3 tbsp. cinnamon
• 1½ cups coarsely chopped and roasted pecans
• ¾ cup (1½ sticks) butter, melted

Directions:

Heat the oven to 350° F. Grease and flour a Bundt pan.

To make the filling, combine the light brown sugar, flour and cinnamon in a bowl and stir with a fork to mix everything well. Place the pecans in another bowl. Set aside. Place the cinnamon mixture, pecans and melted butter aside.

Cake batter: combine the flour, baking powder and salt in a bowl. Stir the vanilla extract into the milk. In a large bowl combine the butter and sugar, and beat with a mixer on high speed until pale yellow and evenly mixed, about 2 minutes. Scrape down the bowl to ensure a good mix. Add the eggs and beat for another 2 minutes, scraping down the bowl, until the mixture is smooth.

Use a large spoon or spatula to add about a third of the flour mixture to the butter mixture and stir only until the flour disappears. Add a third of the milk and mix in. Repeat twice more until all the flour and milk mixtures have been incorporated. Stir just enough to keep the batter smooth.

Spread half the batter evenly into the prepared pan. Sprinkle half the cinnamon mixture over the batter followed by half the melted butter. Scatter half the pecans over the top. Spread the remaining batter carefully over the filling, using a spatula to smooth the batter all the way to the edges of the pan. Top with the leftover cinnamon, butter and nut mixture, covering the cake evenly.

Bake for 45 to 50 minutes, until the cake is golden brown. Place the pan on a wire rack and allow to cool in the pan for 5 to 10 minutes before cutting into slices.