Pumpkin-Apple Streusel Coffee Cake

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...This moist pudding-like cake is nice for a brunch table or a morning coffee meeting. I like it for its seasonality and the ease with which it can be made. It actually is the only recipe in my hopper that uses both apples and pumpkin and therein lies its charm. A pumpkin-spice cake batter is topped with caramelized apples and liberally sprinkled with streusel before baking. It's baked until it's golden brown and bubbling and when you're sure its aroma will drive you to madness, you declare it done. The cake is best eaten within hours of being made. It is a moist cake to begin with, and if allowed to sit overnight it becomes goopy. I like to serve it while still warm, with a dollop of cinnamon-flavored whipped cream or a scoop of really good vanilla ice cream. I don't want to mislead lead you here. This is not a cake that will make your reputation. The adjective that best describes it is nice. If you are looking for a seasonally appropriate cake that is a bit different than most, I think you'll enjoy this one. It probably won't make your top ten list but it is sufficient to the day. Here's the recipe for those of you who have a surplus of apples and pumpkins on hand. Enjoy!

Pumpkin-Apple Streusel Coffee Cake...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite courtesy of Bon Appetit

Ingredients:
Apples
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
4 cups diced peeled cored Granny Smith apples (about 4 large)
3 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Cake
1-1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 cup (firmly packed) golden brown sugar
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, cut into pieces, room temperature
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup toasted chopped walnuts
3/4 cup canned pure pumpkin
1/3 cup sour cream
2 tablespoons sugar
2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 large eggs

Directions:
1) Prepare apples: Melt butter in large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add apples; sauté until apples begin to brown, about 5 minutes. Add sugar and cinnamon and sauté until golden brown, about 3 minutes longer. Cool.
2) Prepare cake: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Butter 9-inch-diameter springform pan. Combine flour, brown sugar, butter, and salt in large bowl. Using electric mixer, beat until mixture resembles coarse meal. Place walnuts in a small bowl. Add 2/3 cup of crumb mixture to nuts and set aside. Beat pumpkin, sour cream, 2 tablespoons sugar, spice, and baking soda into remaining flour mixture, beating just until smooth. Beat in eggs. Transfer batter to pan. Scatter apples evenly over top. Sprinkle reserved topping over apples.
3) Bake cake: Transfer pan to oven and bake until topping is golden brown and tester inserted into center comes out clean, about 1 hour 10 minutes. Cool cake in pan on rack 20 minutes. Run knife around pan sides to loosen cake. Release pan sides from cake. Transfer cake to platter. (Can be made 6 hours ahead. Let stand at room temperature.) Serve warm or at room temperature with ice cream. Yield: 6 to 8 servings.








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