Hidden-Layer Sour Cream–
Pecan Coffee Cake

Imagine a coffee cake with a topping in the middle as well as on top. If that sounds tasty, you’ll love this recipe. It’s easy, freezable, and perfect for taking to a ladies’ tea or to the office during the holidays. This recipe is easily seventy years old, with a few of my additions.

Cake

4 tablespoons butter

1 cup sugar

2 large eggs

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

½ teaspoon salt

1 cup sour cream

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Topping

1 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar

½ cup finely chopped pecans

3 tablespoons all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

3 tablespoons butter, softened

To make the cake, preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Grease a 9-inch square baking pan. in a large bowl cream the butter and sugar until the mixture is light and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, and blend well after each addition. in another bowl sift the flour with the baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Add the dry ingredients to the creamed mixture, alternating with the sour cream. Beat well after each addition. Add the vanilla, stirring well.

To make the topping, in a small bowl stir together all the topping ingredients with a fork until the mixture is crumbly. Pour half the cake batter into the prepared pan. Sprinkle with half the topping. Add the remaining batter and sprinkle with the remaining topping. bake for 35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the middle of the cake comes out clean.

Makes 8 servings

Baking and sifting go together,or at least that’s what my mother said, and her mother before her, and my home economics teacher. Even though most flours today are presifted, in baking, the sifting adds air to flour, making a lighter cake. If you are blending dry ingredients, you should sift them together to make sure all the spices are blended in equally, as in the Honey Boys recipe on page 110.Will it ruin your recipe if you don’t sift? Probably not, but sifting might just make it better!