Author Notes
In case any one doesn't already have a standby coffee cake for holiday brunches this is my personal favorite. My senior year college housemate and I first made it one lazy weekend from an old cookbook that was left in the house. We liked it so much that as soon as it was gone, we made another! We continued to make it frequently, adapting it to our various moods, and this is the end result. It is highly adaptable to using all varieties of fruit, but I just love pears at this time of year, so that's what I use. The cake is moist but not too dense, and the crumble topping melts into a caramelly, crunchy top crust. —fiveandspice
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Ingredients
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2
large pears, ripe but still firm
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2 cups
flour
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1 cup
granulated sugar
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2 teaspoons
baking powder
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1/4 teaspoon
salt
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1 cup
whole milk (buttermilk woul also be good)
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1
large egg, lightly beaten
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2 tablespoons
canola oil
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1 cup
packed brown sugar (the kind of medium dark variety)
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7 tablespoons
unsalted butter, melted and allowed to cool
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1 teaspoon
ground cinnamon
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1/2 teaspoon
ground cardamom
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1/2 cup
chopped toasted pecans
Directions
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Preheat your oven to 350F. Peel, core, and slice the pears into thin slices.
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Combine the flour, granulated sugar, baking powder, and salt in a mixing bowl. Mix the milk, egg, and oil right in and stir just until the ingredients are all combined.
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Spread the batter into a greased 9X13 in. baking pan, then lay the pear slices in rows on top of the batter.
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In a small bowl mix together the brown sugar, butter, cinnamon, and cardamom. Sprinkle this all over the top of the cake. Then sprinkle with the chopped nuts. Pop into the oven and bake for 45 minutes, until a tester comes out clean. Serve warm, or allow to cool completely before serving.
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