Recipe of the week -- The Ultimate Coffee Cake

I feel I must preface this with the fact that I DO NOT like coffee. I don't drink it, I don't make it, I don't like it Sam I Am. Oh wait, wrong story.

I do enjoy the smell though, which to me seems really weird, but hey, it is what it is. I love the smell of French Vanilla Cappuccino the most.

There is one good thing about coffee. It is normally served with a lovely cake appropriately enough named Coffee Cake. I would do almost anything to eat coffee cake including tolerating others drinking that disgusting black sludge.

Sorry if I have offended any of you coffee drinkers.

This is my favorite version of coffee cake. It's very moist and tasty.


Coffee Cake

1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
3/4 tsp. salt
3 cups plus 1 tbls. flour
3/4 cup chopped pecans
1/3 cup packed brown sugar
1 1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 1/2 cups sugar
3/4 cup butter, softened (1 1/2 sticks)
2 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
3 eggs
1 container (16 oz.) sour cream
1 cup powdered sugar
4 to 6 tsp. milk

Preheat oven to 350*F. Grease a 12-cup fluted bundt pan; dust with flour. In a small bowl, combine baking powder, baking soda, salt and 3 cups flour. In another small bowl, combine the pecans, brown sugar, cinnamon and the remaining 1 tbls. flour.

In a large bowl, with mixer at medium speed, beat sugar, butter and 2 tbls. vanilla until creamy. Beat in eggs, 1 at a time. Alternately beat in flour mixture and sour cream, beginning and ending with the flour mixture. Beat just until blended, occasionally scraping bowl.

Evenly spread 2 cups batter in prepared pan; sprinkle with half of the nut mixture. Top with 2 cups batter. Sprinkle with remaining nut mixture, then spread remaining batter on top.

Bake cake 55-60 minutes or until it passes the toothpick test. Cool cake in pan 10 minutes. Invert onto a plate to cool completely.

Prepare glaze: In a small bowl, stir powdered sugar, milk and 1/2 tsp vanilla until smooth. Drizzle glaze over cake.


I know it's a lot of steps, but it's worth it. This always gets rave reviews and is great for any type of casual gathering. You could even serve coffee with it if you want. I won't complain. :o)