This is one of my least favorite times of year in Chicago. The weather bounces back and forth between sub-zero and balmy spring-like days. We’ll enjoy a couple of days of sun and mild weather only to be reminded of winter by snow and temperature below freezing. We’re all so anxious for spring that it ends up making the city a little crabby. It is on days like these (high of 24 today) that we need a piece of coffee cake to drink with a hot cup of coffee before work.
This coffee cake was good, really good. I miss it. We finished it a few days ago and I want more. It still hasn’t replaced my favorite recipe [1] for coffee cake, but holds the number 2 slot for now. I hope to enjoy the competition. The use of brown sugar makes for an especially moist and rich cake which is further enhanced by the Greek yogurt in the batter. I used Pecans from the Green City Market, which were delicious.
Pecan Coffee Cake (adapted from Bon Appetit, April 2009)
Topping:
- 2/3 cup (packed) dark brown sugar
- 2/3 cup all purpose flour
- 3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) unsalted butter, melted, cooled slightly
- 1/2 cup pecans, toasted, coarsely chopped
Cake:
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- 1 1/4 teaspoons baking soda
- 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 1/3 cups (packed) golden brown sugar
- 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 large eggs
- 1 cup whole-milk or reduced-fat (2%) plain Greek-style yogurt
Combine brown sugar, flour, and cinnamon in medium bowl. Add melted butter; toss with fork to blend. Using fingertips, rub mixture together until small clumps form. Mix in pecans. Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover and chill.
Position rack in center of oven and preheat to 350°F. Butter 9x9x2-inch metal baking pan. Combine flour, baking soda, nutmeg, and salt in medium bowl; whisk to blend. Using electric mixer, beat brown sugar, butter, and vanilla in large bowl until well blended, about 2 minutes. Add eggs 1 at a time, beating well after each addition and scraping down sides of bowl occasionally.
Add half of flour mixture; beat just until blended. Add yogurt; beat just until blended. Beat in remaining flour mixture just until blended.Spoon half of batter into prepared baking pan; spread evenly. Sprinkle half of streusel evenly over batter.Spoon remaining batter in dollops over streusel, then spread evenly over with offset spatula. Sprinkle remaining streusel evenly over top.
Bake cake until streusel topping is brown and tester inserted into center of cake comes out clean, about 45 minutes. Cool cake in pan on rack 30 minutes. Cut into squares and serve slightly warm or at room temperature.
I couldn’t stop taking pictures!