Cinnamon Streusel Coffee Cake

I want to talk about this coffee cake.  Even though I did a piss poor job of showing you, I'm telling you it's good!  It's a cinnamon-streusel coffee cake from Martha Stewart I flound in an article they did on coffee cakes, which all look AMAZING!  I made two yesterday, but this one made the other one awful by comparison.  This sour cream cake is perfect, moist and tender with a delectable crumb I love to see in a cake.  The streusel however is what really does it for me.  The pecans and cinnamon and...ahhhh!  It's so good!  After the glaze cools the crust get crunchy just a tad bit sweeter.  This cake is a sugar lovers dream and since I'm addicted I'll be making it again.

Cinnamon- Streusel Coffee Cake


From Martha Stewart March 2011


Streusel Topping:
210 g (1 3/4 c) flour
200 g (1 c) light brown sugar
1 1/4 tsp cinnamon
3/4 tsp salt
187 g (3/4 c) cold butter, cut into small pieces
1 1/2 c coarsely chopped toasted pecans

Cake:
240 g (2 c) flour
1 1/4 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
125 g (1/2 c) butter, room temperature
200 g (1 c) sugar
2 eggs
1 1/2 tsp vanilla
1 c sour cream

Glaze:
120 g (1 c) icing sugar
2 Tbsp milk

Streusel Topping:
Mix together flour, 150 g (3/4 c) brown sugar, 1 tsp cinnamon and salt in a large bowl.  Cut in the butter with a pastry cutter or your fingertips until small to medium crumbs form.  Mix in 1/2 c pecans.  Place in the fridge until ready to use.

For streusel center, mix together remaining 50 g (1/4 c) brown sugar, 1/4 tsp cinnamon and 1 c pecans.  Set aside

For Cake:
Preheat the oven to 350F.  Butter a 9 inch tube (angel food cake) pan with a removable bottom.  Sift flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt into a medium sized bowl.

Beat together butter and sugar in a mixer until fluffy and pale, 2 minutes.  Beat in the eggs one at a time, then add the vanilla.  Mix in flour mixture in 3 additions alternating with the sour cream.  Begin and end with flour mix.  Turn the mixer to high for a few seconds to beat until well combined.

Spoon half of the batter into the pan and spread it evenly over the surface.  I find I have a really hard time getting the batter to stick to the pan and not my spoon, so I wet my fingers slightly and push it around until it is even.  Sprinkle streusel center topping over batter.  Top with remaining cake batter and spread evenly.  Sprinkle streusel topping over the cake evenly.

Bake until the cake is golden brown and toothpick inserted comes out clean, about 55 minutes.  Transfer to a rack and cool completely.  Place a large piece of parchment under the rack.

To make the glaze combine the icing sugar and milk.  Drizzle over the cake and let it run down the sides.