Photo: Iain Bagwell; Prop Styling: Mindi Shapiro Levine; Food Styling: Torie Cox
If you like coffee cake that’s heavy on the crumb topping (who doesn’t?), you’ll love this recipe. This amazing coffee cake is scented with fragrant cinnamon and cardamom, perfect partners for the sweet, juicy peaches that take center stage in this recipe. Bake this up for your next ladies luncheon or a weekend brunch when you have overnight guests. But there is no need to save it just for a special occasion—this coffee cake is so easy to make, you can bake one up during the week for lunchbox desserts or an afternoon coffee break.
How to Make It
Step 1
Prepare the Pecan Streusel: Preheat oven to 350°F. Stir together chopped pecans, brown sugar, cinnamon, salt, 3/4 cup flour, 1/2 cup granulated sugar, and 1 teaspoon ground cardamom in a medium bowl. Add 1/2 cup cold butter pieces, and, using your fingers or a pastry blender, combine until a sandy texture is achieved.
Step 2
Prepare the Cake: Sift together baking powder, 1 1/2 cups flour, 3/4 cup granulated sugar, and 1/2 teaspoon cardamom. Beat cream, vanilla, egg, and 4 tablespoons melted butter with an electric mixer on medium-high speed until frothy, about 1 minute. Fold in the flour mixture with a spatula until blended. Do not overmix.
Step 3
Gently rub peaches under running water to remove fuzz, and slice each into 8 wedges. Transfer the batter to a lightly greased and floured 9-inch springform pan, and smooth the surface. Arrange the peach slices evenly over the batter, pressing them into the batter just a bit. Cover the top evenly with the Pecan Streusel, pressing lightly.
Step 4
Bake in preheated oven until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 1 hour. Cool in pan on a rack 1 hour. Remove sides of pan before serving.
