Pecan Sour Cream Coffee Cake with Orange Glaze……;-)

I had purchased some sour cream (for something…..?),  forgot I even had it and then decided a coffee cake would be the perfect use for it.  I wanted to give a friend who’s mother passed away a little gift to cheer him up and I decided this would be a great gift. Noting like something sweet for your sorrows!

What could be better than cinnamon, sour cream, pecans and orange glaze? Honestly, sign me up. And so I did. I grabbed this little ditty from Kristines Kitchen Blog and then doctored it a tad bit. When I saw the minimal amount of streusel, I had to alter it a bit. I will let you use your discretion.  Since I am a huge fan of Lisa Dupar’s sour cream cake (found here on my blog) her streusel is killer and I opted for grandiose!

AND I confess, we dove into this so quickly, never got a chance to make the glaze or take pictures. But Trust me, this is a keeper recipe.

Pecan-Sour Cream Coffee Cake with Orange Glaze

Makes 12 to 16 servings

Ingredients:

For the streusel:

• 1 tbsp. all-purpose flour
• 3 tbsp. dark brown sugar (I added 1/2 cup sugar as well)
• 1 tsp. ground cinnamon (I added 1 tbs.)
• 1/2 cup pecans, toasted, cooled, and ground fine* (one cup chopped-period – don’t you be messing with my peCANS!! – old “When Harry Met Sally”…..you still with me? ;-)

For the cake:

• 16 tbsp. (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature and cut into 1/2-inch pieces
• 6 large eggs
• 1 3/4 cups sour cream
• 1/4 cup pure maple syrup
• 1 1/2 tbsp. vanilla extract (skipped this accidentally, didn’t miss it however)
• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 1/4 cups (8 3/4 ounces) granulated sugar
• 1 1/2 tbsp. baking powder (this cake rose VERY high)
• 1 1/4 tsp. baking soda
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1/2 cup pecans, toasted, cooled, and ground fine

For the glaze:

• 1 cup (4 ounces) confectioners’ sugar, sifted
• Zest of one orange
• 2 tbsp. freshly squeezed orange juice

Directions:

1. Make the streusel: Combine the flour, dark brown sugar, cinnamon, and pecans in a small bowl and set aside.
2. Make the cake: Adjust an oven rack to the lowest position and heat the oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a 12-cup nonstick Bundt pan with cooking spray or grease with softened butter.
3. Whisk the eggs, sour cream, maple syrup, and vanilla together in a medium bowl.
4. Using an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, mix the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt and pecans until combined. Add the butter pieces and half of the egg mixture and carefully beat on low speed until the mixture begins to come together, about 15 seconds. Scrape down the sides of the bowl, add the remaining egg mixture, and beat on medium speed until the batter is light and fluffy, about 2 minutes (scrape down the sides of the bowl again as needed).
5. Pour 5 cups of the batter into the prepared pan, using a rubber spatula to smooth the surface. Sprinkle the streusel evenly over the batter and then cover with the remaining batter, spreading it evenly.
6. Bake until a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out with just a few crumbs attached, about 50-60 minutes. Cool the cake in the pan on a wire rack for 30 minutes, then carefully invert the cake onto the wire rack to cool completely, about 1 hour.
7. Make the glaze: Whisk the confectioners’ sugar, orange zest, and orange juice together in a medium bowl. Using a fork or small whisk, drizzle the glaze over the cake. Enjoy!

Bon Appétit!