Making in the Kitchen: Sour Cream Apple Coffee Cake

I’m heading over to see my friend Amy and her beautiful baby Ellie this morning. We are both huge coffee drinkers, so I thought I’d bring a little something to go with our coffees.  What makes this coffee cake different is the sour cream, which keeps it incredibly moist plus the layer of apple slices in the center.  But it’s very simple to make and calls for ingredients that most of us already keep on hand. It would also make a nice addition to your Easter brunch!

I found this recipe on food.com, formerly recipezaar.com.

 You will need the following:

• 1 c. chopped pecans (mine came straight off a farm in Valdosta, GA…thank you Kati!)
• 2 t. cinnamon
• 1 c. sugar

• 1 c. sugar
• 1/2 c. butter or margarine
• 2 eggs
• 1 t. vanilla

• 2 c. flour
• 1 t. baking powder
• 1/2 t. salt
• 1 t. baking soda
• 1 c. sour cream
• 1 medium apple (peeled & thinly sliced)

First use  a small bowl to mix the first three ingredients (pecans, cinnamon & 1 of the cups of sugar.)  Stir it up and set aside for later.

 Next you’ll set about mixing the cake portion. With a mixer, cream the butter and remaining cup of sugar.  It says “cream” on the recipe, but it turned out looking pretty crumbly for me. Then add the eggs one at a time, beating after each addition. Add vanilla and mix again. Then add the flour, baking powder, salt & baking soda, beating well.  Add sour cream and beat one last time.  Your batter will be very thick.

Spray a 9″ or 10″ square pan and add half of the batter to the bottom.  I didn’t have those sizes, so I used my 8″ square pan. It affected my baking time, but otherwise it was fine.  Top the batter with your apple slices. Don’t forget to slice them thinly.

Next, sprinkle half of your sugar/pecan topping over the apples.

Dollop the remaining batter on top of the sugar mixture, making sure you don’t get the sugar mixed in. You want to keep the layers separate. So take your time.  Top with your remaining sugar mixture and you’re good to go!

Bake at 350 degrees for 40 minutes. (Using my 8″x8″ pan, I baked for 60 minutes.) Make sure you use a knife or spaghetti noodle to poke the center and see that it comes out clean.  Cool on a wire rack completely before storing.

The pictures really do not do this coffee cake justice.  It is absolutely delicious.  I’m sure you could make it a little healthier by using light sour cream, and margarine instead of butter. But when I’m baking for friends or company, I tend to go all out.

Enjoy!