PUMPKIN Coffeecake
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(adapted from Kim Laidlaw)
Ingredients:
For the streusel:
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
a pinch of fine sea salt
6 Tbs. (3/4 stick) cold, unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
1 cup chopped pecans, lightly toasted (see below)
For the batter:
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 tsp. ground ginger
1/4 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon cloves
1/2 tsp. fine sea salt
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8 Tbs. (1 stick) unsalted butter
1 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
2 large eggs
1/2 cup pumpkin puree
1/2 cup full fat sour cream
For the glaze:
3/4 cup confectioners’ sugar, sifted
2 teaspoons milk, whole or 2%, or more if needed
1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
Make the Cake:
Preheat an oven to 350 degrees F. Butter and flour a 9-inch springform pan or any of the pans listed in Lessons Learned.
Make the streusel:
In a bowl, combine the flour, brown sugar, cinnamon and salt. Add the butter and, using 2 table knives, a pastry cutter or your fingers, cut it into the dry ingredients until the mixture looks like coarse crumbs. Alternatively, combine the ingredients in a food processor. Stir in the toasted pecans. Set aside.
Make the batter:
In a bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and salt. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the flat beater, beat together the butter and brown sugar on medium-high speed until well combined. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, scraping down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula. Add the pumpkin puree and sour cream and mix with the spatula. Stir in the flour mixture. The batter will be quite thick.
Dollop half of the batter by spoonfuls into the bottom of the pan, and spread into a smooth layer. Evenly sprinkle half of the streusel over the batter. Dollop the remaining batter over the streusel and spread the thick batter as best you can. Top with the remaining streusel. Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean, a few moist crumbs are ok., about 50 minutes. Transfer the pan to a wire cooling rack and let cool for about 15 minutes. Run a thin knife around the edge and remove the sides from the pan. Slide the cake onto the rack to let cool completely.
Make the glaze:
In a small bowl, stir together the confectioners’ sugar, milk and vanilla. If it is too thick to drizzle, add extra milk by the ½ teaspoonfuls until thin enough. To get thin lines, using a spoon, first start the drizzle in the bowl of icing, then draw lines in all directions over the top of the cake. Repeat as many times as desired. Allow some of the glaze to drip down the sides.
Makes 8-10 servings. YUM!
Toast the pecans:
Preheat an oven to 325°F. Spread the nuts out on a rimmed baking sheet and bake, stirring often, until fragrant and lightly toasted, about 7-9 minutes. Watch them closely towards the end of the baking time—they can burn easily. Immediately remove them from the hot pan, cool, and coarsely chop them.
LESSONS Learned:
1. To toast the pecans: preheat an oven to 325°F. Spread the nuts out on a rimmed baking sheet and bake, stirring often, until fragrant and lightly toasted, about 7-9 minutes. Watch them closely towards the end of the baking time—they can burn easily.
2. If you don’t have a 9 inch round springform pan.... you can use a 9” tube pan, a 10“ bundt pan, or make two 8”round cakes.
3. Make sure to get pure canned pumpkin puree and not canned pumpkin pie mix.