About the Ingredients

• Sour Cream – The sour cream in the layer not only adds a wonderfully tangy background flavor, it also helps create a light and tender cake layer.
• Apple – You’ll need one large cooking apple. Granny Smith apples, Fuji, and Honeycrisp are all good choices.
• Light Brown Sugar – The molasses in brown sugar add a caramel note to the coffee cake layer.
• Cinnamon – Because cinnamon is one of the predominant flavors in this recipe, I suggest using a high-quality brand. I like Spice Islands Saigon Cinnamon.
• Dark Brown Sugar – Contains more molasses than light brown sugar and is used in the topping for an even deeper caramel taste.
• Cold Butter – Cold butter is much easier to cut in for creating the topping.
• Pecans – A perfect pairing with the apple and caramel flavors in this recipe. Fisher brand is always dependable.
• Raisins – Apples, pecans, and raisins are a classic combination. If you don’t like raisins, simply leave them out.
• Confectioner’s Sugar – For the optional glaze. It’s also called powdered sugar or 10X sugar.

Make the Cake Layer

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Generously grease a 9-inch springform pan (or 9-inch cake pan or square pan) with butter or spray with cooking spray. Set aside for now.
2. Use an electric mixer to cream the light brown sugar and softened butter in a large bowl until light and fluffy.
3. Beat in the eggs one at a time mixing well after adding each.
4. Stir in the vanilla.
5. Add the flour and sour cream alternately beating well after each addition.

6. Spread the cake batter into the prepared pan.
7. Core the apple and slice it into 1/4-inch thick slices. Put the slices in a bowl and sprinkle them with the lemon juice, brown sugar, and cinnamon. Toss apple slices to coat.

8. Arrange the slices around the top of the batter.

Make the Topping

9. In a medium bowl, mix together the flour, dark brown sugar, butter, and cinnamon using a pastry cutter or two forks until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs.
10. Stir in the pecan pieces and raisins.

11. Sprinkle the topping mixture evenly over the layer of apple slices.
12. Bake in the preheated oven for 1 hour, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Start checking for doneness after about 40 minutes. If you feel that the topping is getting too brown, tent the pan with foil to prevent burning.
13. Remove from the oven and allow to cool in the pan on a rack for 30 minutes.
14. When the cake is cool, remove the side of the springform pan and place it on a serving plate.

Make the Glaze (Optional)

15. Mix the confectioner’s sugar, milk, and vanilla in a small bowl. Drizzle the top with the glaze.

Storage Information

Leftover coffee cake keeps in an airtight container at room temperature for about 3 days. The completely cooled cake may be well-wrapped and frozen in a freezer-safe container for about 2 months.

How to Serve

I often serve coffee cake as an ending to breakfast (a breakfast dessert if you will) or as a sweet option during brunch. This recipe would be the perfect ending to a breakfast of steak and eggs or ham and red-eye gravy.

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