I came up with this cake the other day as a means of using up some nuts and yogurt I had laying about, and to have a little something special on-hand for our "morning after prom" gang. It turns out that the cake never survived the prom after party to be enjoyed as an accompaniment to morning coffee….oh well.
By splitting the streusel topping into two layers I've guaranteed that every bite of the cake enjoys a bit of its sweet, crunchy goodness. Yogurt and butter make for a nice dense crumb and the vanilla, cardamom, and nutmeg infuse the cake with wonderful, warm spice. I think you're gonna love this one!
Cheers – Steve
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter melted, plus 1 stick at room temperature
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 3/4 cup chopped pecans
- 1 tablespoon cinnamon
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1/2 cup vanilla greek yogurt
- 1 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom
- 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- pinch of kosher salt
Instructions
- Heat the oven to 350℉ and center the rack.
- Melt the 3 tablespoons of butter and mix in a small bowl with the brown sugar, cinnamon, and chopped pecans. Set aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment cream remaining 1 stick of butter and granulated sugar on medium speed until fluffy. Add the egg and vanilla and mix until fully incorporated. Add the flour, baking powder, ground cardamom and nutmeg, and salt. Mix on low-medium until just combined. Add the yogurt and continue mixing until fully incorporated.
- Butter and flour a loaf pan, then spoon and spread 1/2 of the batter into the pan making sure it ends in a nice even layer. Top with one half of the nut mixture (pressing it into the batter with your fingers), then add the rest of the batter and top that layer with the balance of the nut streusel.
- Place the loaf in the oven and cook for about an hour, turning it halfway through cooking. If the topping seems to be browning too much, tent with foil partway through cooking. Start checking for doneness at about 50 minutes with a cake tester.
- Let cool 30 minutes in the pan set on a cooling rack, then remove from the pan and continue to let cool on the rack.