Pecan Coffee Cake

Get ready for the ultimate coffee cake experience! This isn’t your average breakfast treat – it’s a bakery-style masterpiece loaded with buttery pecans, warm cinnamon swirls, and a maple-kissed crumb topping that’ll make your kitchen smell like heaven.

What makes this coffee cake extraordinary is the perfect balance of textures – a tender, moist cake base, gooey cinnamon swirl layer, crunchy maple-pecan crumble, and a silky vanilla glaze that ties everything together. Each bite delivers pure comfort food bliss.

Ingredients

For the Cake:

• 4 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 cup salted butter, room temperature
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1/4 cup light brown sugar
• 1 cup pure maple syrup
• 4 large eggs
• 1 1/2 cups sour cream
• 1/2 cup Kefir or buttermilk

For the Cinnamon Swirl:

• 2 tbsp ground cinnamon
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup pure maple syrup
• 1 cup light brown sugar

For the Maple Pecan Crumb Topping:

• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 cup pure maple syrup
• 6 tbsp salted butter, melted and cooled
• 2 cups chopped pecans

For the Vanilla Glaze:

• 2 cups powdered sugar, sifted
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 3-4 tbsp Kefir or whole milk

Steps

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease and line a 13×9-inch baking pan with parchment paper, leaving overhang for easy removal. The parchment is crucial for clean slices!
2. Whisk flour, baking powder, and baking soda in a large bowl until well combined. This aerates the dry ingredients for a more even rise.
3. Using a stand mixer with paddle attachment, cream butter and sugars on medium speed for 4-5 minutes until very light and fluffy. The mixture should be nearly white and have a whipped texture.
4. Add eggs one at a time, beating for 30 seconds after each addition. Scrape down bowl frequently to ensure even mixing.
5. With mixer on low, stream in maple syrup and milk. Mix just until combined – don’t overmix or the cake will be tough.
6. Alternate adding dry ingredients and sour cream in 3 batches, mixing until just combined between each addition. The batter should be thick but spreadable.
7. Create the cinnamon swirl by whisking all swirl ingredients until they form a crumbly mixture.
8. Spread half the batter in prepared pan, top with cinnamon swirl mixture, then carefully spread remaining batter over top.
9. For the crumb topping, mix flour, maple syrup, and melted butter until sandy, then fold in pecans. Sprinkle evenly over batter.
10. Bake 55-60 minutes, covering with foil at 30 minutes to prevent over-browning. Cake is done when a toothpick comes out clean and center springs back when lightly pressed.
11. Cool 15 minutes before glazing. Whisk glaze ingredients until smooth, adding milk gradually until it reaches drizzling consistency.

Smart Swaps

• Replace up to half the butter with unsweetened applesauce for fewer calories
• Use coconut sugar instead of brown sugar for a lower glycemic impact
• Swap regular flour for white whole wheat flour for added fiber

Make It Diabetes-Friendly

• Use Lakanto Monkfruit Sweetener in place of sugars (1:1 ratio)
• Replace maple syrup with sugar-free maple flavored syrup
• Reduce pecans to 1 cup to lower fat content
• Serve with protein (eggs, Greek yogurt) to slow sugar absorption

Pro Tips

• Room temperature ingredients are crucial for proper mixing
• Don’t overbake – remove when center is just set
• Let cool completely before slicing for clean cuts
• Store in airtight container up to 3 days