Cinnamon Pecan Crunch Cake (Printable)
Moist coffee cake layered with cinnamon sugar and crunchy toasted pecans for a comforting homemade bake.
# What You’ll Need:
→ Crunch Topping and Filling
01 - 1 cup chopped pecans
02 - 2/3 cup packed light brown sugar
03 - 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
04 - 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
05 - 1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted
→ Cake Batter
06 - 2 cups all-purpose flour
07 - 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
08 - 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
09 - 1/2 teaspoon salt
10 - 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
11 - 1 cup granulated sugar
12 - 2 large eggs
13 - 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
14 - 1 cup sour cream or plain yogurt
# How To Make It:
01 - Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease a 9x13-inch baking dish or a 9-inch round springform pan.
02 - In a medium bowl, combine the chopped pecans, brown sugar, cinnamon, flour, and melted butter. Mix until the mixture becomes crumbly and well distributed. Set aside.
03 - In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt until evenly blended.
04 - In a large mixing bowl, beat the softened butter and granulated sugar together until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Stir in the vanilla extract.
05 - Alternately add the dry ingredient mixture and the sour cream to the butter mixture, beginning and ending with the flour. Fold gently until just combined — avoid overmixing to keep the cake tender.
06 - Spread half of the cake batter evenly into the prepared pan. Sprinkle half of the cinnamon pecan crunch mixture uniformly over the batter surface.
07 - Spread the remaining batter over the filling, then evenly distribute the rest of the pecan crunch mixture across the top.
08 - Bake for 40 to 45 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean.
09 - Allow the cake to cool in the pan for 20 minutes before slicing and serving.
# Expert Tips:
01 -
- The sour cream in the batter keeps every slice absurdly tender for days, which means leftovers taste just as good on Tuesday as they did straight from the oven.
- That double layer of cinnamon pecan crunch running through the middle and on top makes every bite feel like stealing the best part of a coffee cake twice over.
- It comes together with one bowl for the topping and one for the batter, so you spend less time cleaning and more time hovering near the oven.
02 -
- Overmixing the batter after adding the flour will develop the gluten and give you a tough, chewy cake instead of a tender crumb, so stop mixing the moment the last streak of flour disappears.
- If you use a springform pan instead of a 9 by 13 dish, the cake will be thicker and may need the full 45 minutes or even a few minutes more, so start checking early and trust the toothpick test.
03 -
- The crunch topping doubles beautifully as a muffin or quick bread streusel, so make extra and keep it in the freezer for whenever the urge strikes.
- Take the cake out of the oven when the toothpick has just a few moist crumbs clinging to it, because residual heat will finish the job and you will never end up with a dry center.