Cinnamon Crunch Coffeecake

This recipe was an all time best seller at my coffee shop in Portland, Maine. It would quickly become one of Ryan’s favorite dishes, which quickly led him to gaining about 15 lbs that season, which quickly led to him hitting 32 home runs. I am not exactly saying that Cinnamon Crunch Coffeecake helps someone hit home runs, but I’m not exactly saying that it doesn’t. The powers the coffeecake possesses are boundless.

The key to this recipe is the way you treat the sour cream. Anytime I have a recipe with similar ingredients, I always prepare the sour cream and baking soda separately and let it sit while I make the rest. The baking soda helps make the sour cream airy and bubbly, and I swear you can see and taste the difference in texture in the cake.

As you can see, this coffeecake is a stunner. It’s great for a holiday brunch, baby shower, bridal shower, or any other morning get together. I make it all the time (for entertaining purposes and for home run purposes) and it’s a crowd pleaser every time.

Cinnamon Crunch Coffeecake
Makes: 8-12 servings
Prep Time: 30 minutes    Baking Time: 70-90 minutes    Total Time: 2 hours

Ingredients:
3 ½ cups flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
2 tsp baking soda
2 cups sour cream
2 cups sugar
1 cup butter
4 eggs
1 tsp vanilla

For Cinnamon Crunch Layer:
1/2 cup flour
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup butter
2 tbs cinnamon
1/2 cup chopped pecans
1/8 tsp salt

Directions:
1. Mix the sour cream and baking soda together in a  medium mixing bowl. Let stand until foamy.

In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt. Sit aside.

In a third mixing bowl, make the Cinnamon Nut Topping mixture by using a pastry cutter to chop the butter into the remaining ingredients. You want the texture to be like lumpy clumps of sand. Set aside.

2. Use a hand mixer to stand mixer to cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy, about 4 minutes. Add the eggs and vanilla extract to the mixture one at a time, waiting until the first egg is completely absorbed before adding the next.

3. Add the sour cream mixture and the flour mixtures to the butter and sugar by alternating 1/3 of the sour cream mix, 1/3 of the flour mix. Just mix until lightly combined, DO NOT OVER MIX. Use a spatula to scrape the bottom of the bowl to make sure everything is completely combined.

4. Spray a tube pan (or any other coffeecake pan) with cooking spray. Add 2/3 of the batter to the pan, followed by 1 cup of the Cinnamon Nut Topping. Top with the remaining batter and the rest of the Cinnamon Nut Topping.

5. Bake at 350 degrees for 70- 90 minutes, rotating the cake in the oven after 35 minutes. Test with a cake stick to make sure it is baked completely through before removing from the oven. Cool completely before removing from the pan.