Brown Sugar-Macadamia Nut Coffee Cake

Looking for a twist on the traditional coffee cake?  I just discovered this one...it has macadamia nuts.  The recipe is in the Williams-Sonoma Muffins cookbook that my sister bought me for Christmas.  I want to try many more recipes in it.  I keep flipping through it because the pictures are so beautiful!  Any-who, I made this coffee cake because Tyler and I have loved all foods with mac nuts since our Hawaii trip.  They have that melt-in-your-mouth consistency that makes everything taste buttery and rich.  Mac nuts and coffee cake pair together very well!  This would be great for breakfast, brunch, or dessert.

Here are the ingredients you will need for the topping: flour, sugar, cinnamon, ginger, and butter

Stir together the flour, sugar, cinnamon, and ginger in a small bowl.

Cut the butter into small pieces and add to the bowl.  Mix in the butter with your hands until coarse crumbs form.

Here are the ingredients for the cake: mac nuts, flour, cake flour, sugar, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, sour cream, eggs, canola oil, and vanilla

In a medium bowl, stir together the flour, cake flour, sugar, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.

In another bowl, whisk together the sour cream, eggs, oil, and vanilla. 

Stir the sour cream mixture into the dry ingredients.  Using an electric mixer on medium speed, beat until smooth and creamy.

Spoon half the batter into the prepared pan.  Sprinkle with half the topping.

Cover with remaining batter.  Sprinkle with the mac nuts, then cover with the remaining topping.

Bake until the topping is golden brown, 40-45 minutes at 350 degrees F.  Serve slightly warm or at room temperature.

Brown Sugar-Macadamia Nut Coffee Cake

Topping:

2/3 C. all-purpose flour

1/3 C. sugar

1 t. cinnamon

1/2 t. ground ginger

6 T. cold butter

Cake:

1 C. macadamia nuts

1 C. all-purpose flour

1/2 C. cake flour

1/2 C. sugar

1/2 C. packed light brown sugar

1 1/2 t. baking powder

1 t. baking soda

1/4 t. salt

1 C. sour cream

2 large eggs

1/2 C. canola oil

1 1/2 t. vanilla extract

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.  Grease a 9 inch round springform pan.  Line the bottom with a round of parchment paper and grease the paper.

To make the topping, stir together the flour, sugar, cinnamon, and ginger in a small bowl.  Cut the butter into small pieces and add to the bowl.  Using a pastry cutter or your fingers, cut or rub in the butter until coarse crumbs form.  Set aside.

Coarsely chop the macadamia nuts and set aside.

In a bowl, stir together the flour and cake flour, sugar and brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.

In another bowl, whisk together the sour cream, eggs, oil, and vanilla until well blended.  Stir the sour cream mixture into the dry ingredients.  Using an electric mixer on medium speed or a wire whisk, beat until smooth and creamy, about 1 minute.

Spoon half of the batter into the prepared pan and spread evenly.  Sprinkle evenly with half of the topping.  Cover evenly with the remaining batter.  Sprinkle evenly with the nuts, gently pressing them into the batter, then cover with the remaining topping.

Bake until the topping is golden brown, 40-45 minutes.  A toothpick inserted into the center of the cake should come out clean.  Transfer the pan to a wire rack and let cool for 20 minutes.  Remove the sides of the springform pan.  Serve warm or at room temperature, cut into wedges.

Source: Williams-Sonoma Muffins cookbook