Cinnamon Swirl Coffee Cake
 
Cinnamon swirl coffee cake topped with pecans and frosted with cream cheese icing. Perfect for breakfast or for a coffee break. Recipe adapted from Chef Anna Olson's book Back to Baking.
Ingredients
For the batter:
  • ½ cup (114g) butter, softened
  • ½ cup (100g) sugar
  • 1 egg
  • 1 egg yolk
  • ¼ cup (62.5ml) milk
  • ½ cup (115g) sour cream
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • ¼ teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1⅓ cups (160g) flour
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • 2 teaspoons cinnamon
  • ½ teaspoon nutmeg
For the cinnamon swirl:
  • ¼ cup (57g) butter, melted
  • 2 tablespoons brown sugar
  • ½ teaspoon cinnamon
  • ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
For the streusel topping:
  • ¼ cup (57g) cold butter
  • ¾ cup (94g) flour
  • ½ cup (100g) packed light brown sugar
  • 1½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
  • pinch salt
  • ~ ½ cup pecans, toasted and coarsely ground (optional)
For the cream cheese icing:
  • ¼ cup (58g) cream cheese, softened
  • ¼ cup (57g) butter, softened
  • ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 3 tablespoons icing sugar
  • ¼ teaspoon cinnamon
Method
Prepare the batter:
  1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease an 8-inch (20cm) square pan and line the bottom and sides with parchment paper. Beat the butter and sugar until it is light and fluffy. Add the whole egg and then the egg yolk, and beat well after each addition. Add in the milk. In a small bowl, stir together the sour cream, baking soda, and baking powder. Let sit for five minutes and then stir the sour cream mixture into the batter. Stir in the vanilla. Sift in the flour and salt and then mix in the cinnamon and nutmeg just until blended. The batter will be thick - this is OK. Spread the batter into the prepared pan.
Prepare the cinnamon swirl:
  1. Mix all the ingredients together and pour over the batter. Run the blade of a knife through the batter to spread the cinnamon swirl throughout.
Prepare the streusel topping:
  1. Cut the butter into the flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, and salt with a pair of knives, forks, or with a food processor until pea-sized pieces form. Sprinkle the streusel topping over the batter. Sprinkle the pecans over the streusel, if using. Bake for 35 minutes, or until a tester inserted in the centre of the cake comes out clean. Allow the cake to cool completely in the pan before frosting.
For the cream cheese icing:
  1. Beat the cream cheese and butter together until light and fluffy. Beat in the other ingredients. Pipe icing over the cake with a pastry bag, or spread over the cake as you wish.
Recipe by IronWhisk at http://www.ironwhisk.com/2013/02/cinnamon-swirl-coffee-cake/