I truly love coffee cake. I think it is one of the most wonderfully diverse baked goods in terms of the fact you can eat it for breakfast with your coffee and sit there in wide-eyed happiness that this is how you get to start your morning. If your like me and prefer savory breakfasts, it is the ideal afternoon snack to hold you over and enjoy with (pardon my cliché ) a spot of tea. I dare say its even quite acceptable as an after dinner treat for the gentle soul who still wants cakes but does not care for a thick dose of frosting that particular night. Yes, coffee cake is suitable for everyone's sweet tooth needs.
Then you cross the bridge of styles of coffee cake: there is yeasted, filled, sour cream, in a Bundt pan, in a square pan covered with large crumbles, with or without fruit, nuts, spices, icing etc. The coffee cake can be adapted to the eaters taste preference, and what time they prefer to eat it.
Excuse my rambles about the complexity of the humble coffee cake, but perhaps next time you eat one, you will now ponder just how wonderful and what a thoughtful treat it is from the person who shared it with you.
This cake in particular is one of the most absolutely moist cakes I have ever made. Period- I am not exaggerating. It was so flipping moist and enveloped in a caramelized outer shell that had a wonderfully deep flavor and contrasted so beautifully with the soft, rich, moist, moist, MOIST inside. My mouth it watering just thinking about it. Now, I did not finish the cake the first day and I have enjoyed it every time I have eaten it, but I cannot stress to you enough the importance of trying this cake a few hours out of the oven. It is a true treat to indulge in and completely necessary. As for the rest of the cake, it has a deep cinnamon flavor that warms you through and through. It has chunks of pear that act as naturally sweet, soft spots almost as if you had used pear butter to spread over the cake. These compliment perfectly the flavors of vanilla, sour cream, and butteriness that are so pronounced in the cake. Finally, the streusel has a heavenly buttery, caramelized pecan flavor, with the lightest touch of salt to balance and enhance the sweet. Where it touches the edges of the pan it turns into bits of joy that resemble a praline. However it does not end there, and adds great richness swirled through the cake. I know this a long post, but I felt in necessary you understand how grateful I am for such a simple baked good, and how strongly I feel you should all make this at home to share with your loved ones as well.
Ingredients:
For the Streusel:
1/4 C packed light brown sugar
1/2 C all purpose flour
1 1/2 TSP ground cinnamon
1/4 TSP fine salt
3/4 C chopped pecans
3 TBSP cold, unsalted butter
For the Cake:
2 1/2 C cake flour (not self rising) or White Lily flour (for the Southern folk) if you can get your hands on it
1 1/2 TSP baking powder
1/2 TSP baking soda
1/2 TSP fine salt
1/2 TSP ground cinnamon
12 TBSP (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted, room temperature butter
1 1/2 C granulated sugar
3 large eggs, room temp.
1 1/2 TSP vanilla extract
1 C sour cream
1/4 C whole milk
2 medium-large firm pears
*All my recipes are done at altitude. For sea level, use 2 TSP baking powder and 1/2 TSP baking soda. Also, you may use 1 1/4 C sour cream and remove the whole milk if you would like, but you may also follow as the recipe directs.
For the Simple Syrup:
2 TBSP honey
2-3 TBSP boiling water
Instructions:
1. Preheat your oven to 350 F and grease and flour a Bundt pan.
2. In a small bowl, make the streusel by combining the brown sugar, flour, cinnamon, salt, and pecans. Next cut the butter into small cubes, add it to the dry ingredients and combine using a pastry cutter, your hands (run them under cold water first, then dry), or two knifes. Cut the butter in until it is the size of peas. Place the bowl of streusel in the freezer for later.
3. For the cake, sift together the flour, baking soda and powder, salt, and cinnamon in a medium bowl and set it aside.
4. Using a stand mixer with the paddle attachment or a large bowl and hand mixer, cream together the butter and sugar for 4-5 minutes on medium-high until they are light in color and fluffy.
5. Add the eggs one at a time on low-medium speed until they are incorporated. Next turn up the speed to medium-high again and beat for 30-45 seconds until the mixture is a pale yellow and looks thoroughly combined.
6. Add the vanilla, sour cream, and milk, and beat on medium speed until they are well blended.
7. Finally, turn the speed to low and in three additions, add the flour mixture to the wet mixture and beat until there are no streaks of flour. Make sure to scrape down the sides and around the bottom of the bowl so everything is mixed in and no clumps remain.
8. Peel the pears and dice into 1/4-1/2" chunks. Add the pears to the mixing bowl and beat for 15 seconds on low until they are spread throughout the batter.
9. Remove the streusel from the freezer and add 1/3 off it to the bottom of the Bundt pan. Next add 1/3 of your batter and spread it evenly around the pan. Repeat with the next 1/3 of streusel and batter and finally repeat one more time with the last 1/3 of each. So the cake should go from the bottom of the pan: streusel, batter, streusel, batter, streusel, batter.
9. Bake for 50-60 minutes until an inserted cake tester comes out clean. Let the cake cool on a wire rack for 25 minutes before inverting it onto a serving plate.
10. Add the honey and boiling water to a small bowl, whisk to combine and pour the mixture over top the cake.
11. Allow the cake to cool 30 more minutes before slicing. Serve immediately and tightly wrap left overs in plastic wrap. Store at room temperature.
OMG...I love pears! This looks fantastic! Can't wait to try it! Thank you for posting this!
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