Maple Pecan Coffee Cake
A delicious bakery style Maple Pecan Coffee Cake, made with a gooey cinnamon swirl, a maple pecan crumb topping and vanilla glaze drizzle.
This post is sponsored by Lifeway Kefir. All opinions are my own.
About this Recipe
This Maple Pecan Coffee Cake recipe is inspired by the fall/winter season flavors that we all love – maple, pecan and cinnamon! It’s made using Kefir, my favorite ingredient to make cakes extra moist and delicious. It features a nice and thick swirl made with brown sugar and cinnamon, and a generous crumble topping made with pecan, maple and butter! Comfort food, elevated.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Texture: Tender crumb meets a gooey cinnamon swirl and a crunchy streusel topping.
- Flavor: Bold maple syrup and warm cinnamon swirl through the cake, while the pecans add a nutty punch.
- Time: This recipe is surprisingly quick and easy to whip up, perfect for busy weeknights.
- Effort: easy-to-follow, no fancy equipment or techniques needed.
Ingredients
- All-purpose flour: The base for our fluffy cake structure.
- Baking powder & soda: The leavening agents, giving our cake a nice rise.
- Butter & sugars: Butter adds richness and moisture, while the granulated and brown sugars balance the sweetness with a touch of caramel depth.
- Maple syrup: Pure maple syrup adds a warm, woodsy flavor.
- Eggs: Provide structure and bind the ingredients together.
- Sour cream & Kefir: These tangy additions add moisture and keep the cake incredibly tender.
- Cinnamon & brown sugar: For the irresistible cinnamon swirl that melts into the cake.
- Pecans: Adding crunch and nutty flavor to the crumb topping.
- Powdered sugar & vanilla extract: For a simple, elegant glaze to tie everything together.
How to Use Kefir in Baked Goods
Due to it’s high acidity, Kefir acts similarly to buttermilk resulting in a light and airy, and moist texture. To use kefir as a buttermilk substitute, use a 1-to-1 ratio.
If you’re looking for other recipes using Kefir, check out my S’mores Meringue Pie, Chocolate Dulce de Leche Cake Dulce de Leche Churro Donuts and myBlueberry Streusel Quick Bread.
How to make a Maple Pecan Coffee Cake:
This recipe consists of 4 easy layers; the cake base, cinnamon swirl, maple pecan crumb topping and vanilla glaze.
- Make the cake, combine the dry ingredients in a large bowl and set aside. In the bowl of a stand mixer or using beaters, cream butter, sugar and brown sugar until smooth. Add 1 egg at a time, followed by maple syrup. Alternating adding the sour cream, milk and dry ingredients, until fully incorporated. Pour half of the batter into a prepared 13×9 pan.
- Make the cinnamon swirl: combine cinnamon, maple, flour and brown sugar. Layer on top of the batter and cover with remaining cake batter.
- Make the Maple Pecan Crumb topping: combine melted butter, flour, maple syrup, chopped pecans and cinnamon. Mix until it resembles wet sand. Top the cake with the crumb topping and bake for 60 minutes.
- Make the Vanilla Glaze: combine sifted powdered sugar, vanilla and a few tablespoons of kefir. Mix until desired consistency. Drizzle on top of cooled cake and enjoy!
Top Tip: Don’t overmix! A gentle hand is key to a tender crumb.
Storage
Store leftover cake in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.
FAQ:
- Can I substitute the sour cream? Plain yogurt works well!
- What’s a substitute for Kefir? Use buttermilk.
- Can I make it gluten-free? Try a gluten-free flour blend, but the texture may be slightly different.
- Help! My cake didn’t rise! Make sure your baking powder and soda are fresh, and check your oven temperature using an oven thermometer.
Did You Like This Recipe?
Love this easy Maple Pecan Coffee Cake recipe? Please leave a 5-star rating in the recipe card & leave a comment below. Sign up for Yoga of Cooking’s newsletter and keep in touch on Instagram, Pinterest, TikTok, and YouTube.
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Maple Pecan Coffee Cake
- Total Time: 1 hour 15 minutes
- Yield: 12 servings
Description
A delicious bakery style Maple Pecan Coffee Cake, made with a gooey cinnamon swirl, a maple pecan crumb topping and vanilla glaze drizzle.
Ingredients
For the Cake:
- 4 cups all purpose flour
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1 cup salted butter, room temp
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1/4 cup light brown sugar
- 1 cup pure maple syrup
- 4 eggs
- 1 1/2 cup sour cream
- 1/2 cup Lifeway Kefir Plain Unsweetened, or buttermilk
For the Cinnamon Swirl
- 2 tbsp ground cinnamon
- 1 cup all purpose flour
- 1/4 cup pure maple syrup
- 1 cup light brown sugar
For the Maple Pecan Crumb Topping
- 1 cup all purpose flour
- 1 cup pure maple syrup
- 6 tbsp salted butter, melted and cooled
- 2 cups chopped pecans
For the Vanilla Glaze
- 2 cups powdered sugar, sifted
- Splash of vanilla extract
- 3–4 tbsp Kefir, or whole milk, as needed
Instructions
To Make the Cake:
- Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Grease and line a 13×9-inch baking pan.
- In a large bowl, combine the dry ingredients; flour, baking soda and baking powder. Set aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, beat the butter, sugar and brown sugar until soft and creamy, on medium speed. Add one egg at a time, and continue beating.
- Reduce to low, pour the maple syrup and milk, beat until just combined.
- Alternate the dry ingredients with the sour cream. Transfer half of the batter onto the prepared baking pan.
- Add the cinnamon swirl evenly across the top and spread the remaining batter over the swirl.
- Top with the crumble topping.
- Bake for 55-60 minutes, until toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cover with foil about half way through, to prevent the crumb topping from burning.
- Allow to cool for 15 minutes before drizzling the vanilla glaze. Serve and enjoy!
For the Cinnamon Swirl:
- Whisk together the cinnamon, flour, brown sugar and maple until combined. Set aside.
For the Maple Pecan Crumb Topping:
- Mix together the flour, maple, cinnamon and melted butter, until it resembles wet sand. Fold in the chopped pecans and set aside.
For the Vanilla Glaze:
- In a medium bowl, combine the sifted powdered sugar, vanilla and add 1 tablespoon of Kefir at a time until desired consistency. Set aside.
Notes
- Storage: store leftover cake in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 55 minutes
- Category: Dessert
- Cuisine: American
* This post is brought to you by Lifeway Kefir. All content, including recipe, photos, and words are my own. Thank you for supporting the brans that keep Yoga of Cooking, mindful.
Overall, the flavors were excellent. The cake was super moist and fluffy. We really enjoyed it.
My husband, who loves coffee cake, gave it his seal of approval!
The cake looks scrumptious. But I couldn’t find coffee in the ingredients. Did I miss it?
You didn’t miss it! Coffee cakes aren’t meant to contain coffee, they are called ‘coffee cake’ cause the go well with coffee (I’m not making it up!) 🙂