Spicy Pear Coffee Cake

Coffee cakes are intended to be eaten alongside coffee. They are typically single layer cakes that may be square or rectangular like a Stollen or loaf-shaped rectangular cakes, or they may be ring shaped, as a bundt. Coffee cakes may be flavored with cinnamon or other spices, seeds, nuts and fruits. These cakes sometimes have a crumble topping called streusel or a light glaze drizzle.

This classic coffee cake recipe will satisfy anyone's sweet tooth, loaded with pears and topped with crumble. It tastes great as a morning treat or an afternoon snack.

Ingredients:

• 2 1/2 cups diced pears
• 1 stick unsalted butter, room temperature
• 2 cups  all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoo salt
• 1 1/2 easpoon cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon allspice
• 1/2 teaspoon cardamom
• 1/4 teaspoon ground pepper
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/2 brown sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1 teaspoon  vanilla
• 1 cup yogurt

Streusel Topping:

• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1/2 cup flour
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• pinch of salt
• powdered sugar, for dusting

How To:

Peel, core and dice pears. Place in a small bowl and set aside.

For the Streusel topping: In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, brown sugar, cinnamon and salt. With your fingers, rub butter into mixture until crumbly; set aside.

Pre-heat oven to 350°. Lightly grease a 9-inch tube pan and set aside. In a medium bowl add in flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and all spices. Whisk these ingredients until  well combined; set aside.

In a large bowl beat butter, and both sugars until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes, then add eggs, one at a time. Once mixed, add in vanilla, beating to combine. In three additions, alternate adding the flour and yogurt into the butter and egg mixture, beginning and ending with the flour. After the last addition of flour, beat mixture until just combined. Spoon about half of the batter into prepared tube pan.

Scatter 2 cups of the diced pear over the top of the batter.  Then the rest of the batter. Before adding the streusel, add in remaining 1/2 cup of pears, tossing to combine.

Sprinkle streusel evenly over the top of the batter. Place cake in oven and bake until golden brown, about 40-45 minutes. Once removed from oven, allow cake to properly cool before removing from pan. Use a a knife or an offset spatula to loosen the cake from tin. Place it on a serving platter. Dust with powdered sugar before serving.

Bon Apetit!

• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
•