Nancy's Cinnamon Swirl Coffee Cake
A Tasty Coffee Cake from the 'Cake Mix Doctor'
"In order to put this cookbook together, I stashed away ideas and recipes for eight years, and often my method of filing was haphazard at best. I stuck things in a favorite cookbook, in a file in my office, on the computer -- various places. This recipe I actually filed. It surprised me when I found it, for my late mother had scribbled it on the back of a bridge score sheet. Her friend Nancy Bradshaw of Nashville had obviously made this coffee cake for a bridge game they played together. And then the memories of a conversation came back to me. My mom and I were standing in the kitchen and she was telling me about this great coffee cake and how I ought to put it my next cookbook. Well, I baked it, my house filled with the wonderful aroma of cinnamon, and my kids said it was the best coffee cake they had ever eaten. Similar to the Honey Bun Cake in the first book, this recipe is a bit simpler, without the glaze. The beauty is that you can make it in two 9-inch square pans: Eat one cake and freeze the second. But for large gatherings bake it in a 13 by 9–inch pan for 50 to 55 minutes."
-Anne Byrn
Ingredients
Cooking Directions
Prep:
15 minutes
Bake:
40 to 45 minutes
Cool:
20 minutes
Serves:
16 to 20
1. Make the cakes: Place a rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 325°F. Lightly mist two 9-inch (or one 13 by 9–inch) metal cake pans with vegetable oil spray, then dust them with flour. Shake out the excess flour and set the pans aside.
2. Place the cake mix, sour cream, oil, granulated sugar, eggs, and vanilla in a large mixing bowl and beat with an electric mixer on low speed until the ingredients are incorporated, 30 seconds. Stop the machine and scrape down the side of the bowl with a rubber spatula. Increase the mixer speed to medium and beat until the mixture lightens and is smooth, 2 minutes longer, scraping down the side of the bowl again if needed. Pour half the cake batter into the 2 prepared cake pans, dividing it evenly between them. Smooth the tops with the rubber spatula.
3. Make the topping: Combine the brown sugar, pecans, if using, and cinnamon in a small bowl. Spoon half of the topping over the batter in the cake pans. Pour the remaining cake batter over the topping in the two cake pans, dividing it evenly between them. Spoon the rest of the topping over the cake batter.
4. Place the pans in the oven side by side. Bake the cakes until they are golden brown and the tops spring back when lightly pressed with a finger, 40 to 45 minutes. Transfer the cake pans to wire racks and let the cakes sit until nearly cool, 20 minutes. Slice and serve the cakes while still a bit warm.
Keep It Fresh! Store these cakes, covered with aluminum foil, at room temperature for up to four days or for up to one week in the refrigerator. Freeze the cakes in the pans, covered with aluminum foil, for up to three months. Let the cakes thaw overnight on the counter before serving.
