A New Adventure & Cinnamon-Pecan Coffee Cake

A few weeks ago, I joined a group called The Cake Slice Baker's.  The CSB's pick one cookbook a year and bake one of the recipes each month.  Everyone bakes the same cake and writes about their results on the 20th of each month.

Last month, they started a new book; Southern Cakes by Nancie McDermott.  I joined on the 21st, so I missed making the very first recipe.  I wasn't too happy about that.  I really wanted to start from the very beginning.  Even if I was just a tad bit late, I wanted to bake the cake that everyone else did, so as not to feel that I had missed out on something.  But I had a few birthday cakes and cupcakes to make, then came Halloween and Dia de Muertos.

Well today, I finally got to bake my cake.  Totally worth the wait!  (Yes, I'm from California!)  Last month's cake was Cinnamon-Pecan Coffee Cake.  Delicious.  This cake would be a great breakfast during the Holidays. 

The recipe calls for a 9 x 13 baking pan.  But fearing that it might be too much cake, I halved the recipe and made it in a 9-inch square baking dish.  The recipe includes raisins.  My Hubby and kiddies have something against raisins, so I left them out.  But after tasting it, I think the raisins would be perfect.  I was also a little worried that it might be too much cinnamon.  I don't recall ever adding more than a teaspoon in any recipe.  But there was nothing to worry about.  The cinnamon flavor isn't strong or overpowering.  It's just perfect.  The only bad thing is having to wait atleat 10 minutes before enjoying a slice.  If you slice it before, the cake will crumble.

So be on the lookout the 20th of every month to see what delicious cake The Cake Slice Baker's are baking!

The recipe as it appears in the book:

Cinnamon-Pecan Coffee Cake from Southern Cakes

For the cake:

• 3 cups all purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup milk
• 1 cup butter, softened
• 1 cup sugar
• 2 eggs

For the Cinnamon-Raisin filling:

• 1-1/2 cups light brown sugar
• 3 tablespoons all purpose flour
• 3 tablespoons cinnamon
• 1-1/2 cups raisins
• 1-1/2 cups coarsely chopped pecans
• 3/4 cup butter, melted

Directions:
Heat the oven to 350 degrees F.  Grease and flour a 13 x 9-inch pan.

To make the filling, combine the light brown sugar, flour and cinnamon in a bowl and stir with a fork to mix everything well.

Combine the raisins and pecans in another bowl and toss to mix them. Place the cinnamon mixture, nut mixture and melted butter by the baking pan to use later.

To make the cake batter, combine the flour, baking powder and salt in a bowl. Stir the vanilla into the milk. In a large bowl combine the butter and sugar and beat with a mixer on high speed until pale yellow and evenly mixed, about 2 minutes. Scrape down the bowl to ensure a good mix. Add the eggs and beat for another 2 minutes, scraping down the bowl now and then, until the mixture is smooth and light.

Use a large spoon or spatula to add about a third of the flour mixture to the butter mixture and stir only until the flour disappears.

Add a third of the milk and mix in. Repeat twice more until all the flour and milk mixtures have been incorporated. Stir just enough to keep the batter smooth.

Spread half the batter evenly into the prepared pan.

Sprinkle half the cinnamon mixture over the batter followed by half the melted butter.

Scatter half the raisins and nuts over the top.

Spread the remaining batter carefully over the filling, using a spatula to smooth the batter all the way to the edges of the pan. Top with the leftover cinnamon, butter and nut mixture, covering the cake evenly.

Bake for 45 to 50 minutes, until the cake is golden brown, fragrant and beginning to pull away from the edges of the pan. Place the pan on a wire rack and allow to cool in the pan for 5 to 10 minutes before serving in squares right from the pan. The cake is delicious hot, warm or at room temperature.

Enjoy!!!

With Love,
Leslie Limon

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