Sour Cream Coffee Cake....YUMMY!

First off the pictures do not do this cake justice! I would HIGHLY recommend making this for anyone you want to show your love and appreciation for! This recipe is from Barefoot Contessa with a few tweaks...

So DH and I were invited to a Sunday dinner that was a "breakfast". Being that I am the baker I volunteered to bring the "dessert" for the meal. This coffee cake was so moist and flavorful and awesome that i cannot wait for another excuse to make it! At the end of the night we divided up the leftover coffee cake so that everyone could enjoy a piece the next morning for breakfast...i got several very happy emails that their Monday morning was much better thanks to this cake!

Bakers Tip: When making this cake be VERY aware of how much you incorporate the flour. You want to mix it till it is JUST beaten in. This will help result in a light and fluffy cake as opposed to a dense and glutenous blog.

Sour Cream Coffee Cake

12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter at room temperature

2 cups granulated sugar

3 extra-large eggs at room temperature

1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

1 1/4 cups sour cream

2 1/2 cups cake flour (not self-rising)

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

For the streusel:

1/4 cup light brown sugar, packed

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

3 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into pieces

3/4 cup chopped pecans

For the glaze:

1 cup confectioners' sugar

6 tablespoons real maple syrup

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour a 10-inch tube pan.

Cream the butter and sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment for 4 to 5 minutes, until light. Add the eggs 1 at a time, then add the vanilla and sour cream. In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. With the mixer on low, add the flour mixture to the batter until just combined. Finish stirring with a spatula to be sure the batter is completely mixed.
For the streusel, place the brown sugar, flour, cinnamon, salt, and butter in a bowl and pinch together with your fingers until it forms a crumble. Mix in the walnuts, if desired.
Spoon half the batter into the pan and spread it out with a knife. Sprinkle with 3/4 cup streusel. Spoon the rest of the batter in the pan, spread it out, and scatter the remaining streusel on top. Bake for 50 to 60 minutes, until a cake tester comes out clean.
Let cool on a wire rack for at least 30 minutes. Carefully transfer the cake, streusel side up, onto a serving plate. Whisk the confectioners' sugar and maple syrup together, adding a few drops of water if necessary, to make the glaze runny. Drizzle as much as you like over the cake with a fork or spoon.