Cake
- 1 cup buttermilk
- confectioners' sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tbsp instant espresso dissolved in 1 tablespoon hot water
- 1 egg, at room temperature
- 8 tbsp unsalted butter, chilled and diced, plus more for the pan
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 3/4 tsp baking soda
- 11/2 tsp baking powder
- 3/4 cup pecans, toasted and coarsely chopped
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 2 cup light brown sugar
- 2 cup all-purpose flour
Equipment needed: A 9-inch spring form pan and a small ramekin 3 inch in diameter and about 1 3/4 inch tall (see cooking tip).
Arrange a rack at center position and preheat the oven to 350 degrees F/180 degrees C/gas 4. Butter the bottom and sides of the spring form pan and then cut a sheet of parchment paper to fit the bottom of the pan. Place the paper in the pan and then butter the paper. Butter the sides and bottom of the ramekin and place it, right-side up, in the center of the pan.
In a large bowl, stir together the flour, brown sugar, and cinnamon. Add the diced butter and rub the mixture between your fingers until it resembles coarse crumbs. Remove 3/4 cup/115 g to a small bowl and add the chopped pecans; set aside.
Add the baking powder, baking soda, and salt to the large bowl with the flour mixture and stir to combine. In a medium bowl, whisk together the buttermilk, egg, dissolved espresso, and vanilla and then stir them into the dry ingredients just until well blended. The batter should be quite thick.
Ladle half of the batter into the prepared pan and spread evenly with a spatula. Sprinkle half of the nut mixture over the batter. Repeat with the remaining batter and nut mixture. Place the pan on a rimmed baking sheet and bake until a tester inserted into the area around the ramekin comes out clean, 40 to 45 minutes.
Cool the cake to room temperature, about 45 minutes. Then run a sharp knife around the inside edge of the pan to loosen the cake. Run the knife around the outside of the ramekin to loosen it from the cake. Gently remove the ramekin and the sides of the pan. Dust the cake with confectioners’ sugar, drizzle the glaze over the top, and serve.
Creamy Espresso Glaze
- 1/3 cup confectioners' sugar
- 3 oz cream cheese at room temperature, broken into small pieces
- 11/2 tsp instant espresso
- 3 tbsp milk, plus more if needed
Creamy Espresso Glaze: In a medium bowl, whisk together the milk and espresso powder until the espresso has dissolved. Add the cream cheese. With an electric mixer on medium speed, beat the mixture until blended, and then gradually beat in the confectioners' sugar. The glaze should be smooth and thin enough to drizzle over the coffee cake. If too thick, thin with 1 teaspoon or more of extra milk.
Cooking tip: A 3-inch ramekin works best in this recipe. If you use one wider in diameter the space for the batter will be smaller and as the cake cooks some of it is likely to fall into the ramekin. If you have an angel food pan with a removable bottom or a flat-bottomed tube insert for a 9-in/ 23-cm spring form pan, you can use either of those instead. A squeeze bottle with a small opening makes drizzling the glaze over the coffee cake very easy.
Recipe courtesy of Sunday Brunch: Simple, Delicious Recipes for Leisurely Mornings by Betty Rosbottom/Chronicle Books, 2012.
