Sour Cream Coffee Cake with toasted Pecan Filling

The long recipe may make this cake seem difficult to make, but it's really not. It is however, a little time-consuming, but well worth it! It will keep at room temperature, well-wrapped or under a cake dome for up to 5 days.

Ingredients: (serves 16)

For the streusel topping:
2 oz/4 tbsp unsalted butter
3 oz/ 2/3 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup toasted pecans, coarsely chopped
2 tbsp granulated sugar
2 tbsp light brown sugar
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt

For the filling:
1 cup toasted pecans
3 tbsp granulated sugar
3 tbsp light brown sugar
1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp cocoa powder

For the cake:
3 cups sifted cake flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
10 oz/ 1 1/4 cup unsalted butter, slightly softened
1 2/3 cups superfine/caster sugar
4 large eggs
2 tsp vanilla extract
16 oz/ 2 cups sour cream

Method:
Position a rack in the center of the oven and heat the oven to 350 F/ 180 C. Generously butter a 10 inch tube pan with a removable bottom.

Make the topping:
In a 2-quart saucepan, heat the butter over a medium heat until almost melted. Remove from the heat and cool to tepid. In a medium bowl, combine the flour, pecans, both sugars, cinnamon, baking powder and salt and stir with a fork. Add the flour mixture to the butter and stir until evenly moistened and crumbly.

Make the filling:
In a food processor, pulse the pecans, both sugars, cinnamon and cocoa 4-6 times to combine and chop the pecans.

Make the cake:
In a medium bowl, whisk the flour, baking powder, soda and salt. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter on medium speed until smooth and creamy, about 1-2 minutes. Add the sugar slowly, beating until combined. Scrape the bowl. Beat in the eggs one at a time, blending each one completely before adding the next. Scrape the bowl and blend in the vanilla. On low speed, alternate adding the dry ingredients and the sour cream, adding the flour in four parts and the sour cream in three, beginning and ending with the flour and scraping the bowl as needed.

To layer and marble the batter and filling:
Spoon 2 generous cups of the batter into the prepared pan. Smooth with the back of a soupspoon, spreading the batter to the side of the pan first and then to the center. Sprinkle about 1/2 cup of the filling evenly over the batter. Cover the filling with about 2 cups of batter, dropping dollops around the pan and smoothing with the spoon. Sprinkle another 1/2 cup filling evenly over the batter and cover with 2 more cups batter. Layer on the remaining filling and then the remaining batter. (you should have four layers of batter and three of filling)
Insert a table knife 1 inch from the side of the pan straight into the batter going almost to the bottom. Run the knife around the pan two times, without lifting up the blade, spacing the two circles about 1 inch apart. Smooth the top with the back of the soupspoon.

To top and bake the cake:
Take a handful of the streusel crumbs and squeeze firmly to form a large mass. break up the mass into smaller clumps, distributing the streusel evenly over the batter. Repeat with the remaining streusel. Press the streusel lightly into the surface of the cake.

Bake until the top of the cake is golden brown, the sides are beginning to pull away from the pan, and a wooden skewer inserted into the center comes out clean, 70-75 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack and let cool for at least an hour before removing from the pan.

Enjoy!

(recipe from the American Magazine "Fine Cooking- Sweet Cakes")