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Chocolate Frangelico Coffee Cake with Cinnamon Pecan Topping

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chocolate frangelico coffee cake

 

    Mmmmmm! Is there anything better than the smell of cinnamon, hazelnut and pecans baking in the oven? I just love a good coffee cake! I cannot count how many different ones I’ve tried, and with some adjustments, this one is tops! This isn’t your average coffee cake and takes a bit more work, but it’s worth every extra minute and very company-worthy! The cake is delicate, light and has a tender crumb on the inside with a hint of Frangelico, and the outside is draped in chocolate and sprinkled with a wonderful, crunchy spicy sugared pecan topping! A nice slice pairs beautifully with a warm mochaccino for breakfast or brunch, but also makes for a fantastic dessert in the evening after supper. Serve as is, top with whipped cream, or serve with a nice scoop of butter pecan ice cream! A very delicious, decadent treat! So good your guests may beg to take home a piece or two! (Check the fridge before they leave. They may just run out the door with the rest! Just follow the crumb topping trail!) You have probably noticed by now, that I only use real butter. And for most of my recipes I would not suggest subbing anything else. Especially in baking. As the saying goes to explain why, “Cooking is an experiment, but baking is a science”. Flours, to sugars, to leavenings, to liquids must be perfectly figured or you will end up with a mess. Cakes will sink flat, cookies will resemble molten lava, and breads could be used to re-brick the fireplace. So try to stick to baking recipe formulas pretty closely so you don’t end up wasting time, money and tears.

    *I buy my butter online from an Amish farm in Wisconsin. I highly recommend, if even only using for special occasions, that you give it a try! There is a HUGE difference in taste, (phenomenal!), consistency and quality, and my baked goods have never turned out better! And cooking with it has been a pure joy again. It’s all I use now!   

    Hope you enjoy the coffeecake, and don’t forget to share! 😉

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CHOCOLATE FRANGELICO COFFEE CAKE with CINNAMON PECAN TOPPING

Coffee Cake:

1 cup (2 sticks) real butter, softened

2 cups sugar

2 extra-large eggs

2 tsp. vanilla

2 cups flour

1 1/2 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. cinnamon

2 Tbl. Frangelico Hazelnut Liqueur

1 cup sour cream, I always use Daisy

 

Topping:

1 cup finely chopped pecans

2 Tbl. sugar

1 tsp. cinnamon

 

Chocolate Glaze:

1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

1/4 cup (1/2 a stick) real butter

 

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

For cake, cream butter and sugar in a large bowl until fluffy. Add eggs beating until smooth. Beat in vanilla. (Scrape sides and bottom as necessary.) In medium bowl, combine flour, baking powder, cinnamon and salt. Gradually add dry ingredients to creamed mixture, blending well. Beat in Frangelico. Gently fold in sour cream.

Combine topping ingredients in small bowl, set aside.

For chocolate glaze, melt chocolate chips and butter in small saucepan over low heat, stirring until smooth. Or microwave on medium, stirring every minute, until melted. Stir well until smooth.

Sprinkle 2 Tbl. topping in bottom of greased and floured 9″ tube or bundt pan. Spoon half of the cake batter into pan. Do dollops, then smooth flat with back of spoon. (It won’t be perfect.) Sprinkle 4 Tbl. topping evenly over cake batter. Drizzle half of glaze over topping. Spoon remaining batter into pan. Sprinkle with remaining topping. Reserve remaining glaze. (About a 1/4 cup.)

Bake 1-1 1/4 hours or until a toothpick inserted in center of cake comes out clean. Cool in pan. When it’s still a little warm, but not hot, you can transfer to a serving plate. Reheat remaining glaze and drizzle over cake. *If you heat it too much and it’s too runny, just pop it into the freezer for a few minutes to thicken a little. You want it to be like good maple syrup. *I had some leftover chopped nuts (about 2 Tbl.), so I added some cinnamon and sugar to them and sprinkled them over the glaze before it dried. Looks beautiful and tastes AH-MAZING! Enjoy!