Vanilla Pecan Mini Coffeecakes

My sister Libby gave me a new cookbook, so I had to make something from it. My mom and I tweaked one recipe a bit, and made up a cupcake-sized versions of the Vanilla Pecan Coffeecake from Baking With Less Sugar.

Ingredients:

Streusel:

• 75 gr (3/4 cup) pecan halves
• 3 Tablespoons honey
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
• 45 gr (6 Tablespoons) cake flour
• 2 Tablespoons (¼ stick / 28 grams) unsalted butter at room temperature

Batter:

• 300 gr (2 and ½ cups) cake flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 140 grams (2/3 cup) granulated sugar (I used 100 grams white sugar, and 40 grams brown sugar)
  
• 225 gr (1 cup - 2 sticks) unsalted butter at room temperature, each cut into 8 or 10 pieces
• 2 large eggs
• 3 egg yolks
• 1 Tbsp grated orange zest (zest from 1 orange)
  
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 6 ounces cream cheese
• 2 ounces Greek yogurt

 

Instructions:

1. Preheat your oven to 350°F. Toast pecans in oven for 8 to 10 minutes as oven preheats.
   (After toasted, let pecans cool on a plate)
2. Fill twenty or 21 wells of two cupcake pans with liners, spray lightly with cooking spray (or generously grease and flour a 10-inch tube pan with a removable bottom)
3. Make the streusel:
   In a food processor, whirr together in short bursts the pecans, honey, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, flour and butter for about 20 seconds together into a sandy mix.
   (If the butter is soft enough, it may form a dough.)
   
   
4. Make the cake:
   In a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, mix the cake flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and granulated sugar on low speed.
5. Add in the butter one piece at a time, and mix on low speed for about 3-4 minutes. The batter will probably look crumbly, unless your butter is very soft, then batter may come together into a dough.
6. In a small bowl, beat together the eggs, egg yolk, zest, vanilla, yogurt and cream cheese until well incorporated.
7. With the stand mixer on low, slowly add half of the egg mixture the flour/butter mix. Mix until combined.
8. Turn the mixer up to medium speed, and beat for about one and one-half minutes. Your batter will start clumpy and turn pale white and fluffy.  (Scrape down sides once or twice.)
9. Turn the mixer back to low, and slowly add in the remaining egg mixture, beating until everything just comes together, about 30 seconds. (Scrape down sides once or so.)
10. Mix 1 cup of the batter into a bowl with your streusel to make up sreusel batter.
    
11. Place a large cookie scoop (2 tablespoons sized) of batter into each cupcake liner. Smooth it out to the edges of the well as best possible.
    
12. Top with a small cookie scoop (1 tablespoon sized) of streusel batter. Smooth it out to the edges of the well as best possible.
13. Scoop a small cookie scoop of batter on top of streusel batter, smoothing it out.
14. Bake in preheated oven for about 19 to 21minutes, or until the cupcakes top have a little browning on the edges. (Bake for 40 to 50 minutes for the tube pan until the top is golden brown and the center springs back a little when you push it.)

 

Carole's Notes:

We all liked this! Our batter was very thick - and stayed well into layers which showed up nicely after cooking. We made up 21 cupcakes from the dough and streusel.

The recipe is lightly adapted from Baking With Less Sugar