Sour Cream Coffee Cake with Cinnamon Streusel

Instructions

1. 1

   Heat the oven and line the pan

   Set a rack in the center of the oven and heat it to 350°F. Grease a 9x13-inch pan, then line it with a sling of parchment that hangs over the two long sides. The sling is what lets you lift the whole cake out later without disturbing the streusel.

2. 2

   Make the streusel first

   In a medium bowl, whisk the flour, brown sugar, granulated sugar, cinnamon, and salt. Pour in the melted butter and stir with a fork until the mixture looks like damp sand with pebbles in it. Squeeze a few handfuls into clumps, then break those clumps roughly apart with your fingers. Slide the bowl into the fridge while you make the batter so the butter firms up again, which keeps the topping from melting into the cake.

3. 3

   Stir together the filling

   In a small bowl, mix the dark brown sugar, cinnamon, and chopped pecans. Set it aside.

4. 4

   Whisk the dry ingredients

   In another bowl, whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt until evenly combined. Doing this separately means you won't have to overmix later to distribute the leavening.

5. 5

   Cream the butter and sugar

   Beat the softened butter and granulated sugar in a large bowl on medium-high speed for a full 3 to 4 minutes, scraping down the sides once. You're looking for a pale, fluffy mixture that has visibly grown in volume. This is where most of the cake's lift comes from, so don't cut it short.

6. 6

   Add the eggs and vanilla

   Drop in the eggs one at a time, beating about 30 seconds after each and scraping the bowl between additions. Beat in the vanilla. If the mixture looks slightly curdled, your eggs were too cold, but it will smooth out once the flour goes in.

7. 7

   Alternate dry and wet

   Stir the sour cream and milk together in a measuring cup. With the mixer on low, add the flour mixture in three additions, alternating with the sour cream mixture in two, starting and ending with flour. Stop as soon as the last streaks disappear and finish with a few folds by hand. The batter will be thick, closer to frosting than to pourable cake batter.

8. 8

   Layer the cake

   Spread a little over half the batter into the pan in an even layer, nudging it into the corners with an offset spatula. Scatter the cinnamon-pecan filling evenly over the top, keeping it just shy of the edges. Dollop the remaining batter over the filling in spoonfuls, then gently spread it to cover, working from the center out so you don't drag the filling up through the top.

9. 9

   Top and bake

   Break the chilled streusel into pieces ranging from pea-sized to almond-sized and scatter it over the whole surface, right to the edges. Bake for 45 to 55 minutes. It's done when the edges pull slightly from the pan, the top is deep golden with no pale patches, and a skewer into the center comes out with a few moist crumbs but no wet batter. Tent loosely with foil if the streusel darkens before the center sets.

10. 10

    Cool, then glaze

    Cool the cake in the pan on a rack for at least 45 minutes. Whisk the powdered sugar, milk, and vanilla until smooth, adding milk a few drops at a time until it ribbons off the whisk. Drizzle over the cake and let it set for 10 minutes before cutting. Glazing a warm cake will make the drizzle soak in and vanish, so wait it out.

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Baker's Tips

• 1.

  Room-temperature butter should dent under your finger but still hold its shape. If it's greasy or glossy, it's too warm and the cake will bake up dense.

• 2.

  A thick batter is correct here. It's what holds the filling in a clean ribbon instead of letting it sink to the bottom of the pan.

• 3.

  For a taller cake with more edge pieces, bake in two 9-inch round pans for 35 to 40 minutes instead.

• 4.

  Toast the pecans for 7 minutes at 350°F and cool them before mixing the filling. It costs nothing and makes the nutty flavor much louder.

• 5.

  You can assemble the whole cake the night before, cover it, and refrigerate. Bake straight from the fridge and add about 8 minutes to the time.

• 6.

  Swap half the sour cream for plain full-fat Greek yogurt if that's what you have. Avoid low-fat versions, which make the crumb rubbery.

Equipment

• 9x13-inch baking pan
• Parchment paper
• Stand mixer or handheld electric mixer
• Large mixing bowl
• 2 medium mixing bowls
• Whisk
• Offset spatula
• Wire cooling rack
• Skewer or cake tester

Storage