Pecan Pie Coffee Cake

I was browsing through the Cooking Light website last night to see what I could find and came across this recipe. Now Pecan Pies are my favorite and there is always time for a good coffee cake, so when I saw this recipe I knew immediately I had to try it! This cake was really more of an actual snack cake than a coffee cake. The recipe says it is best eaten along with a cup of coffee. I guess that would be true because it doesn't have the cinnamon & such as a regular coffee cake would so you need the coffee in there somewhere to classify it as a coffee cake. It was really good though. Really moist and sweet. The top of the cake actually tasted like a pecan pie! It was chewy and the pecans were crunchy! I really liked this recipe. I would definitely make it again! Let me tell you.....It tastes even better the second day! Now I need to go cut me another piece and take some to my dad, who loves pecan pies as much as I do! Hope you like it as much as I did!

Pecan Pie Coffee Cake

Cake:
3/4 cup granulated sugar
3 tablespoons butter, softened
2 ounces fat-free cream cheese
1 large egg
1 large egg white
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour (about 5 1/2 ounces)
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup nonfat buttermilk
Cooking spray

Topping:
1/3 cup light corn syrup
1/4 cup packed dark brown sugar
2 tablespoons butter
1/3 cup finely chopped pecans
1 large egg, beaten

Preheat oven to 350°.
To prepare cake, place granulated sugar, 3 tablespoons butter, and cream cheese in a large bowl; beat with a mixer at medium speed until well blended (about 5 minutes). Add egg and egg white, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in vanilla. Lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt, stirring well with a whisk. Add flour mixture and buttermilk alternately to sugar mixture, beginning and ending with flour mixture.

Pour batter into a 9-inch round cake pan coated with cooking spray. Bake at 350° for 30 minutes or until wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Remove cake from oven. Reduce oven temperature to 325°.

To prepare topping, combine syrup, brown sugar, and 2 tablespoons butter in a 4-cup glass measure. Microwave at high 1 minute. Stir with a whisk until butter melts. Whisk in pecans and beaten egg.

Using a wooden skewer, poke holes in top of warm cake. Pour pecan mixture over top of cake. Return cake to oven; bake at 325° for 10 minutes. Cool completely on wire rack.

Cooking Light, NOVEMBER 2005