By Molly O'Neill
- Total Time
- 1 hour 35 minutes
- Rating
- 4(146)
- Notes
- Read community notes
This nutty sour cream coffee cake is rich enough to stand alone, but the bourbon caramel sauce elevates it to “special occasion dessert” status.
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Ingredients
Yield:12 to 15 servings
- ½cup unsalted butter, at room temperature, plus more for greasing the pan
- 2cups all-purpose flour, plus more for the pan
- 1½cups pecans, toasted and cooled
- ½teaspoon baking soda
- 2teaspoons baking powder
- ½teaspoon kosher salt
- 1¼cups sugar
- 3eggs
- 1teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1tablespoon bourbon
- 1cup sour cream
- 1cup sugar
- ¼cup water
- 1cup heavy cream
- 2tablespoons bourbon
The Cake
The Sauce
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (14 servings)
433 calories; 25 grams fat; 11 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 9 grams monounsaturated fat; 3 grams polyunsaturated fat; 49 grams carbohydrates; 2 grams dietary fiber; 34 grams sugars; 5 grams protein; 189 milligrams sodium
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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Preparation
Step
1
To make the cake, preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Butter and flour a 10-inch tube pan. Place the pecans in a food processor and pulse until they're chopped medium-fine; reserve ¾ cup.
Step
2
Stir together the flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt and add to the pecans in the food processor. Pulse until pecans are ground and well mixed with the flour. Set aside.
Step
3
Using an electric mixer, cream the butter and sugar together until very light. Add the eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Mix in the vanilla and bourbon. Add the flour mixture alternately with the sour cream, beginning and ending with flour and mixing just to combine. Fold in the reserved pecans.
Step
4
Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and bake the cake until the top springs back when touched in the center, about 1 hour and 10 minutes. Let stand for 10 minutes, turn onto a rack, reinvert and let cool.
Step
5
Meanwhile, to make the sauce, place the sugar in a medium saucepan and stir in the water. Use a pastry brush dipped in water to wash down any sugar crystals clinging to the side of the pan. Place over medium heat and cook without stirring until mixture turns a deep caramel color.
Step
6
Remove from heat and carefully add the cream and bourbon. Return the pan to the heat and continue stirring until the mixture is smooth. The sauce can be made ahead and reheated.
Step
7
To serve, place a slice of cake on each plate and spoon some of the warm sauce beside it.
Ratings
4
out of 5
146
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Cooking Notes
Randy
Its function is a flavor link between the cake & syrup. You could use any strongly-flavored liquid to your taste.
Pecans are well-suited with apples so my choice would be to use apple cider in both the cake and the sauce. For the sauce I would also substitute cider for the water to further intensify the apple flavor.
nsr
What can I substitute for the Bourbon? I don't use alcohol in cooking.
becaru
substitute another recipe
Karen Wingrove
I find that strange. Do you use vanilla or any other flavor extracts? They all have alcohol in them - You can buy a tiny airplane bottle of the bourbon and use it just like you would vanilla.
Alicia
I didn't add the bourbon, but I added some instant espresso, which we enjoyed. I'll try Randy's suggestion next time, that sounds good as well!
Carole
Think dark rum would work as well as bourbon?
L.G.
Does that mean you're using non-alcohol vanilla? Anyway, I think you can skip it entirely in the cake with no major effect and substitute some vanilla-- perhaps 1+ teaspoons-- in the sauce. The alcohol should evaporate in the sauce because of the heat; it might even do so in the cake, but I'm less sure of that.
anna
Honestly a very dry dessert. The caramel sauce was nice, but if didn’t help with the Sahara desert consistency.
Susan
You could use boiled cider instead of bourbon.
Marlette
There is a great bourbon flavoring available from LorAnn’s online (Amazon) that I’ve used in candy’s and sauces when we had no bourbon at the bar.
Thomas
You can add less baking powder by separating the egg whites from the yolks and making an egg white meringue with the sugar before folding it into the batter. I baked it at 320F for an hour so it’s evenly cooked without the top getting burnt. You can make it marbled too by adding 10g of cocoa powder, 20g water and 3g sugar to 1/3 of the batter.
Susan
Baked in Bundt pan, baked for 50 minutes, next time check after 43-45 min. Used Frangelica instead of bourbon.
KS
The cake itself isn't really a centerpiece dessert, but it is great as a breakfast treat with a mug of black coffee. But even when piping hot, my caramel sauce came up much thicker than appears in the picture? I was hoping that it would soak into the cake a bit, but that didn't happen. I'd make this again, sans caramel, to serve on a chilly morning to family during the holidays.
Linda
Tried to eat it without the sauce but it really needs the sauce. With the sauce I thought it to be outstanding. I a plan to serve it as a dessert as well as breakfast item.
Smith
Unimpressed with this though I admittedly slightly overbaked (in a new apartment and an unfamiliar oven), but the flavor was still lacking. This needs more salt by today's standards and the caramel sauce was really thin. Won't make again.
rose
I would like to know if sour creme can be replaced by another ingredient. Thanks
Tricia PDX
I always use Greek yogurt, sometimes thinned with a bit of milk if it's too thick.
Melissa
You might try a tablespoon of full sugar cola or root beer.
Carole
Think dark rum would work as well as bourbon?
TriciaPDX
Better than bourbon!
nsr
What can I substitute for the Bourbon? I don't use alcohol in cooking.
Randy
Its function is a flavor link between the cake & syrup. You could use any strongly-flavored liquid to your taste.
Pecans are well-suited with apples so my choice would be to use apple cider in both the cake and the sauce. For the sauce I would also substitute cider for the water to further intensify the apple flavor.
L.G.
Does that mean you're using non-alcohol vanilla? Anyway, I think you can skip it entirely in the cake with no major effect and substitute some vanilla-- perhaps 1+ teaspoons-- in the sauce. The alcohol should evaporate in the sauce because of the heat; it might even do so in the cake, but I'm less sure of that.
Nancy D.
I don't like bourbon in baked goodies. I plan to leave it out. Will report on results.
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