Sour Cream Coffee Cake

A rich, tender sour cream coffee cake layered with toasted pecans, cinnamon and sugar. Baked in a Bundt pan with pecan halves arranged around the top, this is a classic family coffee cake with a buttery crumb and a cinnamon-pecan swirl throughout.

Sour Cream Coffee Cake

Servings: About 12
Prep Time: About 25 minutes
Cook Time: 55–60 minutes

Ingredients:

Cake:

• 8 pecan halves, toasted
• 1 cup (2 sticks) butter, room temperature, plus additional butter for the pan
• 2 cups granulated sugar
• 2 large eggs, room temperature
• 2 cups sifted cake flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• ⅛ teaspoon salt
• 1 cup sour cream, room temperature
• ½ teaspoon vanilla extract

Cinnamon-Pecan Topping:

• ½ cup chopped pecans, toasted
• 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Instructions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F (325°F for a convection oven).
2. Generously butter a 12-cup Bundt pan, making sure all the grooves and crevices are thoroughly coated. Place a little extra butter in each notch of the pan and press a toasted pecan half into each one.
3. In a large mixing bowl, cream the 1 cup butter and 2 cups sugar until light and well combined.
4. Beat in the eggs.
5. Sift together the cake flour, baking powder and salt. Gradually add the dry ingredients to the creamed mixture, blending well.
6. Carefully fold in the sour cream and vanilla.
7. To make the topping, combine the chopped toasted pecans, 2 tablespoons sugar and cinnamon.
8. Sprinkle about 2 tablespoons of the cinnamon-pecan mixture over the bottom of the prepared Bundt pan.
9. Cover with one-third of the cake batter, then sprinkle with some of the remaining cinnamon-pecan mixture.
10. Continue alternating the batter and cinnamon-pecan mixture, ending with the topping.
11. Bake for 55–60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the thickest portion of the cake comes out clean.
12. Cool in the pan for 10 minutes.
13. Carefully invert the cake onto a wire rack or serving plate and allow it to cool.

Denver High-Altitude Adjustments (5,280 feet):

• Increase the oven temperature from 350°F to 365°F. For convection, use about 340°F.
• Reduce the granulated sugar in the cake from 2 cups to 1¾ cups.
• Reduce the baking powder from 1 teaspoon to ¾ teaspoon.
• Add 2 tablespoons milk to the batter to compensate for Denver’s drier conditions and faster evaporation.
• Keep the 2 eggs, 1 cup sour cream, butter and cake flour unchanged.
• Leave the cinnamon-pecan topping unchanged.
• Begin checking the cake at about 48–50 minutes. It will probably take roughly 50–55 minutes, rather than the original 55–60 minutes. A toothpick inserted into the thickest part should come out clean or with just a few moist crumbs.

Tip: Be especially generous when buttering the Bundt pan. The pecans and cinnamon-sugar mixture can encourage sticking, so make sure every groove of the pan is thoroughly coated before adding the batter.

Source: Mom’s Recipe