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Overnight Cinnamon Pecan Coffee Cake is a longtime family favorite. Classic yet super simple, this recipe tastes just like a good coffee cake should!

Overnight Cinnamon Pecan Coffee Cake

A longtime family favorite, this recipe is really basic but tastes just like a good coffee cake should.
Servings: 8-10 servings
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Ingredients
 

For the coffee cake:

  • ¾ cup (168g) butter, softened
  • 1 cup (192g) granulated sugar
  • 2 large eggs
  • 2 cups (254g) all-purpose flour (may use your favorite gluten-free substitute; see notes for GF upgrade)
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg (freshly grated if possible)
  • ½ teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1 cup (8oz) regular sour cream (not fat-free)

For the topping:

  • ⅔ cup (133g) packed brown sugar
  • ½ cup (57g) chopped pecans
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Instructions

  1. For the cake: Beat the butter and granulated sugar at medium speed with an electric mixer until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating just until blended after each addition.
  2. Combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, nutmeg, and salt; add to the butter mixture alternately with the sour cream, beginning and ending with flour mixture. Beat at low speed just until blended after each addition. Spread the batter evenly into a greased 13x9-inch pan.
  3. For the topping: Stir together the brown sugar, pecans, and cinnamon; sprinkle over the batter. Cover the baking dish with plastic wrap and chill up to 18 hours.(Optionally, you may bake right away.)
  4. When ready to bake: Allow the coffee cake to sit on the counter while the oven preheats to 350℉. Bake for 30 minutes, give or take a few minutes depending on oven, or until the center is just cooked through. To ensure a moist, tender cake, be careful not to over bake. (Best way to bake to perfection? A quick-read thermometer should register between 200-205℉ when inserted in the center of the cake.) Serve warm or at room temperature.

Notes

Need a gluten-free coffee cake? A cup-for-cup, all-purpose substitute may be used and will work fine, but for an upgrade that rivals the glutenous recipe, I like to use 75% GF all-purpose flour and 25% finely ground almond flour. So, for this recipe, that is 1½ cups (190g) GF flour + ½ cup (56g) finely ground almond flour.
Another tip: GF substitutes are often heavier than all-purpose wheat flour, providing yet another good reason to measure by weight instead of volume. I've found that using the weight of the AP wheat flour called for in a recipe ensures the best amount of GF flour is used (usually a little less than you'd measure in a cup), thus avoiding an outcome that is dense or dry.  
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