Cranberry Pecan Coffee Cake

 

 

 

 

After all the rich desserts and pastries that we enjoyed over the Christmas season, I look forward to sharing a simple coffee cake with friends and family. Not too sweet, but definitely moist and delicious with a sweet nutty and crunchy topping…what could be more delicious with a hot cup of tea or coffee as a morning treat or afternoon snack?

One of my tasters declared that this was the perfect coffee cake. The tart, juicy cranberries throughout the moist and not too sweet cake batter contrasted nicely with the sweet and crunchy pecan topping. The Tuesday writing group decided that this recipe was “a keeper”! Thanks for your input, ladies!

Coffee cakes are essentially a one-layer butter cake, often with a streusel or crumble topping.

Hints for a Successful Coffee Cake:

• Butter should be softened, at room temperature.
• Preheat oven for at least 15 to 20 minutes.
• Measure ingredients accurately.
• Ingredients should be at room temperature, especially eggs for better volume.
• Cream butter and sugar together in a stand or with a hand mixer for about 5 minutes for a light and fluffy consistency.
• Whisk dry ingredients together before incorporating into batter.
• Cake should bake in the center of the oven.
• Butter and flour pans for cakes to be removed from their pans for serving. Only butter pans (no need to flour) where the cake will be served out of the pan.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ingredients:

½ cup unsalted butter, softened

½ cup firmly packed light brown sugar

¼ cup granulated sugar

2 large eggs

2 tablespoons grated orange rind*

3 tablespoons frozen orange juice concentrate, thawed

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 ½ teaspoons baking powder

½ teaspoon baking soda

¼ teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

¾ cup sour cream

1 cup fresh cranberries*

Topping:

1 tablespoon flour

2 tablespoons brown sugar

1 tablespoon melted butter

1 cup coarsely chopped pecans

Preparation:

Preheat oven 350°F.

Butter and flour a 9 inch springform pan.

Whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon. Set aside.

*Grate rind of a smooth, thin-skinned orange for the best flavor. One large orange will give you 2 tablespoons of grated rind.

*Cranberries – use fresh or slightly thawed cranberries (I use the auto defrost on my microwave for 1 ½ minutes for a cup of frozen cranberries. They are still cold, retain their shape, are not mushy, and the cake bakes beautifully. If the cranberries are completely frozen, the cake may not bake evenly.)

Method:

Using the flat beater of a stand mixer, cream together the butter and the sugars until smooth.

Gradually add in the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each. Add orange rind and orange juice concentrate, beating until smooth.

While beating, add half the flour mixture, then all the sour cream, and then the remaining flour mixture, beating about 1 minute longer, only until you have a smooth dough.

Using a spatula or wooden spoon, gently stir in the cranberries.

Spread batter evenly into prepared cake pan. A small off-set spatula works well for this.

Topping:

In a small bowl, combine 1 tablespoon flour, 2 tablespoons brown sugar and 1 tablespoon melted butter until crumbly. Add chopped pecans. Sprinkle topping over top of batter.

Bake cake in preheated oven 40 to 45 minutes until cake tester or toothpick inserted in center comes out cleanly.

Place cake on wire cooling rack and let cool before transferring onto serving plate. Cake may be served warm when sliced in the pan.

Hint: As this is a very tender moist coffee cake, do not try to plate the cake onto a decorative cake plate while still very warm. It can fall apart in the transfer!

 

Tags: coffee cake, cranberry, fruit coffee cake, pecan, quick and easy

Category: Baking Tips, Cakes & Tortes