In times of uncertainty, baking has come to the rescue. There’s a shortage of flour and yeast and eggs for a reason: Baking brings comfort, and this is as true today as it was years ago.
My grandmother was a big baker, and I have learned so much from her recipe book that brings so many wonderful memories to our table. A recipe that we enjoy as a family throughout the year, but seems to shine in the spring and around Easter time, is my Nanny’s Sour Cream Cinnamon Coffeecake. There is a comfort in coffeecake that all generations appreciate and fall in love with.
The cake is made with granulated sugar, butter, eggs, flour and sour cream, which creates a dense and buttery flavor. Although the cake is the base for the recipe, the Cinnamon Pecan Topping is the star of the show. Chunks of pecans mixed with cinnamon and sugar are evenly distributed in the middle of the cake and on top. Not only will this cake sit on your counter and get better each day, it will be a family tradition that you and your kids will enjoy for years to come.
Kristen Massad of Dallas, a pastry chef and graduate of the French Culinary Institute in New York, blogs at joyoliver.com.
Sour Cream Cinnamon Coffeecake
2 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup butter, unsalted, plus more for greasing pan
2 large eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup sour cream
Cinnamon Pecan Topping
Powdered Sugar Glaze
Heat oven to 350 F and grease a 9-inch tube pan with butter.
Sift the flour, baking powder and baking soda into a large bowl; set aside.
In a mixing bowl with paddle attachment, cream the granulated sugar and butter until smooth
Add eggs and vanilla extract until combined.
Alternate adding the dry ingredients and sour cream into the egg mixture. Beat on medium speed until smooth and fully combined.
Pour half of the batter into a 9-inch tube pan. Sprinkle half of the Cinnamon Pecan Topping to cover the first layer of batter.
Add the remaining batter to the pan and sprinkle the remaining Cinnamon Pecan Topping over the top of the cake
Bake for 40-45 minutes or until the cake tester comes out clean or until the cake bounces back at the touch.
Once the cake is cool, drizzle on Powdered Sugar Glaze.
Cinnamon Pecan Topping: In a small bowl, combine 2 teaspoons cinnamon, 1/4 cup granulated sugar and 1 cup chopped pecans.
Powdered Sugar Glaze: In a small mixing bowl, whisk together 1 cup powdered sugar, 2-3 tablespoons whole milk and 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract until smooth. If the glaze is too thin, add more powdered sugar to thicken, and if it is too thick, add more milk to thin it out.