Chocolate-Pecan Coffeecake

If you've been searching for a new coffeecake to serve for breakfast on Thanksgiving or Christmas morning, this cake just might fill the bill. It's a bit more involved than some, but the cake, every crumb of it, is worth the effort. It has been a while since I featured a "makes my socks go up and down" recipe, but this definitely belongs in that category. This is special and the only problem I've encountered when I make it, is determining when it is fully baked. The cake has so much in it, that it is hard to determine when the batter in the center of the cake is actually done. I probably baked this longer than I should, but in order to assure a cake with a cooked center, I added extra time to the recommendation in the recipe below. The next time I make this I'm going to use a tube pan, which I think will eliminate any chance of over-baking the cake. Those of you who try this recipe will be pleased. I've moved the one I made for this post to the freezer for Thanksgiving weekend and  I do hope you'll follow suit. Here's the recipe for a cake that is a  perfect way to start a holiday breakfast.

Surgery Update:

“The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes but in having new eyes.”
Marcel Proust

Things have gone very well thus far. Thank you so much for your prayers, good wishes and support. I will forever be in the debt of the organ donor whose cornea has given me the chance of second sight. . 

Chocolate-Pecan Coffeecake

Ingredients:
Coconut Pecan Topping
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup packed brown sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 cup cold butter
3/4 cup semisweet chocolate pieces
1/2 cup flaked coconut
1/2 cup chopped pecans
Cake
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 cup granulated sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt or 1/4 teaspoon table salt
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
2-1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 (8-oz.) carton dairy sour cream

Directions:
1) Grease and flour a 9-inch springform pan. Set aside.
2) To make Coconut Pecan Topping: In a large bowl combine flour, brown sugar and cinnamon. Cut in cold butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs; stir in semisweet chocolate pieces, coconut, and pecans. Set aside.
3) To make cake:  In a large mixing bowl, beat butter with an electric mixer on medium to high speed for 30 seconds. Add sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Beat until well combined, scraping sides of bowl occasionally. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in vanilla. Alternately add flour and sour cream to butter mixture, beating on low speed after each addition just until combined.
4) Spread half of cake batter into prepared pan. Sprinkle with half of  Coconut Pecan Topping. Spoon remaining cake batter in mounds over coconut mixture. Carefully spread to an even layer. Sprinkle with remaining Coconut Pecan Topping.
%) Bake in a 350 degree F oven about 65 minutes or until a long wooden skewer inserted near the center comes out clean. If necessary, cover cake with foil for the last 15 to 20 minutes of baking to prevent overbrowning. Cool on a wire rack for 20 minutes. Run a thin metal spatula around edge of cake. Remove sides of the pan. Cool about 30 minutes more. Serve warm. Yield: 12 servings.