Pecan Pie Coffe Cake

I'm literally eating the last piece of cake as I write.  I just returned home from Church, Carsten is sleeping after a 30 hour call at the hospital, and I decided to relax in the living room with the last slice.  A perfect Sunday afternoon.  After two bites I remembered I hadn't taken any pictures, so I got out the camera and snapped a few.

I found this recipe over at bake or break about a week ago, and have had it up on my computer screen ever since, just waiting for a good day to bake it.  I love baking anything sweet, but if I don't have people to share it with I'll eat it all by myself - not only dangerous, but less fulfilling.  So when I got a text from friends inviting me over to have a Christmas tree bonfire, I got right to baking :)

Perfectly moist, not too sweet, and the pecan pie topping added just the right amount of interest.  It's always a gamble letting your friends try a first time recipe, but I shouldn't have worried.  The cake was a hit.  And I will forever associate it with an evening around the bonfire, laughing and drinking wine with friends, new and old.

Ingredients
For the Cake:
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
3/4 cup granulated sugar
3 Tbs unsalted butter, softened
2 oz cream cheese, softened
1 large egg
1 large egg white
1 tsp vanilla extract
3/4 cup buttermilk

For the Topping:
1/3 cup corn syrup (the recipe called for light, but I only had dark, so that's what I used)
1/4 cup packed dark brown sugar
2 Tbs unsalted butter
1/3 cup pecans, finely chopped
1 large egg, lightly beaten
pinch of salt

Procedure
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees, and generously grease a 9-inch cake pan.  I used a spring-form pan, which made it just a little easier to serve.
In a small mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.  Set aside.  Using an electric mixer, whip together the sugar, butter, and cream cheese until light and fluffy.  (If your butter and cream cheese aren't quite softened, just wait ten minutes or so, and beat them a little extra, until everything is smooth and fluffy.  DON'T rush the process but putting them in the microwave!  It will ruin the texture of your cake)  Add the whole egg, and then the egg white, whipping between each addition.  Stir in the vanilla.  Reduce the mixer to low and add the flour mixture in three portions, alternating with buttermilk in between (flour - buttermilk - flour - buttermilk - flour).  Mix until just combined.  Pour the batter into your prepared pan, and bake for 30 to 35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.  Set the pan on a wire rack, and reduce the oven to 325 degrees.
In a small sauce pan, combine the corn syrup, brown sugar, and butter over medium heat.  Stir and heat just until the butter melts.  Remove from heat, and stir in pecans, egg, and salt.  Using a wooden skewer, (a toothpick is too small - I used a chopstick ;) ) poke holes all over your cake.  This will let the gooey topping soak into the cake.  Carefully pour the topping over the cake, making sure to cover every bit of it.  Feel free to spread the pecans around evenly.  Return the cake to the oven for 10 minutes.  Remove from the oven, and let cool completely (on a wire rack) before serving.

share. eat. repeat.