Sour Cream Coffee Cake with Cinnamon-Pecan Filling

October is National Cookie Month.  Tate's Bake Shop is offering a few food bloggers an opportunity to taste their award winning Whole Wheat Dark Chocolate Cookies.

Owner Kathleen King made her reputation--and a thriving bakery business-- on her famous chocolate chip cookies.  Her bakery is located in the Hamptons-- a place I hope to visit someday.

Last December , I was one of the fortunate bloggers who was able to taste Tate's Chocolate Chip cookies-- and Tate's Bake Shop offered a giveaway to one of my lucky readers .  My family and I really loved these cookies, that are thin and crisp and buttery.  They disappeared really fast. I also received a signed copy of the Tate's Bake Shop Cookbook, and I  made the recipe for chocolate chip cookies. They were delicious, but not quite as crispy as the authentic cookies that Tates Bake Shop can ship to you! 

Denielle contacted me, again, and asked if I'd like to sample their Whole Wheat Dark Chocolate Chip Cookies.   I love cookies, but I asked her if there were any other options.  She cheerfully offered to put together a breakfast package for me, and said that she'd also let me choose a lucky recipient to receive the same.  A week later...

...I received a box with their Sour Cream Coffee Cake and a bag of their Granola.  The very next morning, I opened up the package, and started fresh hot coffee brewing.

The coffee cake was carefully wrapped. Look at all of those pecans!

We each cut a generous slice, and my husband particularly loved all of the pecan-cinnamon. Heaven!

The granola was wholesome, and generously mixed with golden raisins, hazelnuts, almond, and honey...

Here. Take a look!

My favorite way to eat granola is with vanilla yogurt.  It's really delicious!

The coffee cake was gone, by the next day.  I picked up my copy of the Tate's Bake Shop cookbook, and looked through the many recipes I had bookmarked. Aha!  On Page 128, I found the recipe for Sour Cream Coffee Cake.  I loved that 2 cups of sour cream is used.  I love the moistness and tang of sour cream in cakes.  My mind was made up, that this would be our Saturday morning breakfast treat.

The recipe lists 2 cups of chopped pecans.  I decided to cut it back to 1 cup of pecans.  Your choice.

I used 1/2 cup of brown sugar (rather than white), the chopped pecans and 1 Tablespoon cinnamon.

Mix it up, and set aside.

For the batter, I creamed one stick of room temperature butter (the recipe listed 2 sticks of butter, but I reduced it) with 1 1/2 cups sugar, until it was light and fluffy.  I then added 2 eggs, 2 cups of sour cream, and one tablespoon of pure vanilla.  The dry ingredients were 2 cups of all-purpose flour, 1 Tablespoon of baking powder and 1/4 teaspoon salt. 

I dumped all of the dry ingredients at once, and pulsed my stand mixer a few times...then I folded the batter just until it was mixed.  (I think this method was used, so that the dough isn't overworked. )

I love using Baker's Joy spray.  My cakes no longer stick, and I've had my share of bundt cake disasters. The batter is very thick, and I put half into the prepared pan and spread it evenly.  Then, I layered half of the pecan-cinnamon mixture evenly.  I added the remaining batter and finished it off with the remaining pecan-cinnamon mixture.  Then it hit me... I should have used a spring form pan, so that the cinnamon topping would remain on top!  Too late, now...

Bake at 350 for 1 hour and ten minutes, is what the recipe says. HOWEVER, I could smell the heady aroma of cinnamon wafting from my kitchen, and throughout the house.  I checked the cake at 50 minutes, and a toothpick left just a few crumbs attached. Done!

I waited about five minutes, and placed a wire cooling rack on top of the cake-- then flipped it. The cake slipped right out. I placed another wire cooking rack on top and flipped the cake again.

There. The topping is where it belongs.  The moment has arrived, as I sliced into the warm cake...

The texture looks very promising.

VERDICT:  The cake had a very tender texture, indeed.  It was moist, and the sour cream gave just the right amount of tang.  Reducing the amount of butter, from two sticks, to one worked out fine, in my opinion. We loved the cinnamon-pecan filling, and I don't regret cutting back on the amount of pecans. I love pecans, but I wanted the cinnamon to be equal.  I think using brown sugar was another bonus.  Everyone went back for seconds. This is a great recipe, and I'll definitely make it again.

Thank you, Tate's Bake Shop for your generous gift.  You, too, can have the opportunity to receive the same breakfast treats that I did, plus a signed copy of the Tate's Bake Shop cookbook!  

A printable recipe card for this coffee cake is at the end of this post.

Santa Maria Tri Tip, Pinquito Beans & Grilled Corn from Susie Q's Brand

Juicy, Perfectly Seasoned & Oak Grilled Tri-Tip with a lot of help from Susie-Q's products.

Traditional Santa Maria Pinquito Beans from Susie Q's Brand

Labor Day can be a bittersweet farewell as summer is ready to pack up and leave us until next year. Already, my cooking magazines are featuring roasted turkey recipes and pumpkin pies! Excuse me?  We folks on the Central Coast of California are just now gearing up for our typical Indian Summer weather!  My Weber grill is still longing to be fired up! My local farm stand is still picking luscious strawberries and there are still plenty of corn stalks waiting to be harvested and thrown onto the grill.   That's exactly what we will be doing for this three day weekend.  My soups and stews recipes can wait a few more weeks-- as far as I'm concerned,  we love to grill year-round. Period.

A few weeks ago, I received a lovely email from "Christopher".   Apparently, he spotted my blog post on my version of Santa Maria Style Tri-Tip.  He asked if I could like to try some of Susie Q's  Santa Maria seasonings. I thought about it for a non-second and immediately replied "please and thank you".  I received the box above.  I wanted to wait for a sunny day to grill outside. For those of you who live in my area (Monterey, California),  you can vouch for the fact that we have had an unseasonably cool summer with lots of fog and overcast skies.  This weekend blessed us with the perfect grilling weather, so I headed off to Whole Foods to buy tri-tip.  For those of you who are unfamiliar with this cut of beef,  tri-tip is a cut of beef from the bottom sirloin primal cut. It is a small triangular muscle (hence, the name), usually 1.5 to 2.5 lbs.

I have recently discovered two important things about what kind of beef (or any meat) I buy:
#1 - If you can buy grass fed beef (rather than grain fed), it's totally worth it.  I've become more aware of what is being fed to what I plan to consume (just watch the film "Food Inc" and you will understand).  I can taste the difference in flavor and texture. Seriously!
#2 - Grass fed beef is becoming more widely available in grocery stores. I'm fortunate to live near a Whole Foods. $6.99 a pound, to me, costs more than grain fed beef. Still, I think it's worth spending a few dollars more. Since I was cooking for 2-3 people, I bought a small piece-- this one weighs less than 2 pounds.
(If you'd like to more info on why grass fed beef is healthier for you, you can click here.)

First, I made the beans. These are Santa Maria Pinquito beans. This is the first time that I've tried them, as I cannot find them in my area. That's probably because, Pinquito beans grow well in the fertile soil and mild climate of the Santa Maria Valley, which is the only place where pinquito beans are grown commercially.

 They resemble pink beans, only a little smaller.  I sorted and washed the beans.  Then, I opened the seasoning packet.  There are a lot of spices and aromatics going on!

Per the instructions, I added water and gave it a stir. I brought the beans to a boil, covered them and let them simmer. The instructions said for two hours, but I allowed for three.  Easy! 30 minutes before starting the coals, I brought the meat to room temperature.  I seasoned the tri-tip with Susie Q's Santa Maria Style Seasoning.

So, what makes this Santa Maria Style?  Santa Maria Style Barbecue requires a specific preparation. The favored cuts of meat are top block sirloin and tri-tip. Before cooking, the meat is seasoned with a special blend of salt, black pepper and garlic salt. The meat is then grilled over coals of red oak, a wood that is native to the region, giving the meat a hearty, smoky flavor. The seasoning smelled wonderful as I took a whiff of it. I was inspired to make a compound butter for grilled corn:

To one stick of butter, I added some of the seasoning (I "eyeballed" it... a couple of teaspoons, I'd guess). I added fresh chopped cilantro and some lime juice. I debated adding some chili powder, but I figured the beans would be spicy enough.  I chilled the butter, until it was time to serve the grilled corn.  Speaking of grilling--  I didn't photograph the process of setting up the charcoal or soaking oak chips, since I've already blogged that part. (You can always view it here.)  Once the meat was seared over direct coals, Craig added the Susie Q's Red Oak Chips, that had been soaked for about an hour.  The meat was moved to indirect heat (to the side away from the hot coals).  Ah, the smoke is building!

 I live in the Salinas Valley of California-- home of one of the biggest Rodeos in the World. I grew up riding on ranches, have owned horses and have hung out with plenty of cowboys and ranchers. I've been fortunate to experience authentic ranch style barbecue.  Nothing beats cooking over authentic oak wood!  It's such a great flavor.  But, I now live in the 'burbs.  A Weber grill will just have to be a substitute.  Craig grilled the meat until it reached 130F (we like ours medium-pink) and we let it rest, knowing it would continue to cook.

Craig has mastered the art of making great corn.  He microwaves the corn, in the husk, for 3-4 minutes per ear of corn. My brother joined us for dinner, so we cooked three years. After 8 minutes, he lets them cool enough to peel back the husk.  They are grilled until lightly golden, using the husks as a handle.

The corn is rolled around so that the cilantro-lime butter is evenly coated...

The beans!  Let me tell you a little about those.  We like our beans a bit thick.  After three hours, of a low simmer, they were definitely ready.  At first, I tasted heat... as in spice.  But, then my tongue adapted and I could taste a background of smoky cumin.  Still, I didn't want watery beans. No problem.  I ladled out a lot of the liquid and then pondered what to do.  I finally decided to make a slurry of some cornstarch and water and whisked it into some liquid. Once it thickened, I slowly added it until the beans were thick-- to our liking.  My brother quickly ate the bowl of beans I had photographed.  He loved them!

Of course, I had to make the Pioneer Woman's Restaurant Style Salsa.

Now, for the moment of truth on the Tri-Tip...

My husband, who really doesn't like to cook (and swears he can't) has really learned how to grill meat.  This is exactly how we like our beef to be grilled. It's a perfect pink!

I had to blow up this shot.  Please tell me you can see how juicy this slice of beef is!  I took a bite...

VERDICT:  Let's start with the beef.  (Doing a happy dance).  The seasoning is spot on!  It's not too salty, not too much garlic. The pepper ratio is perfect.  To me, Tri-Tip doesn't need sauce. No way!  The meat is tender, and the smoky oak flavor... I can almost hear the cattle lowing, the cowboys are coming home!  This is Santa Maria Style barbecue.   The corn was sweet and tender and the seasoning was perfect for the cilantro-lime butter.  The beans were a hit.  The oak chips are such a treat for adding a smoky flavor, even with a weber (or you can also make a foil smoke packet for a gas grill).  I still like my other version of Santa Maria Style Tri-Tip, but I think this is easier and-- dare I say-- I think it's better! 


Craig and I live less than four hours from Santa Maria, California.  The next time we drive south, I hope that we can visit to the family restaurant, at the Far West Tavern.   I hope that's sooner, rather than later.

Win a Magic Bullet by submitting your favorite snack recipe! Four winners will be chosen!

 **THIS GIVEAWAY PASS ENDED. THANKS FOR ENTERING. WINNING RECIPES ARE POSTED HERE**
Magic Bullet wants to know what your favorite snack food recipe is! 

Father's Day is right around the corner! Magic Bullet wants to help you celebrate the fathers in your lives by giving you a Magic Bullet to Go. Summertime is in full swing and you know what that means - delicious snacks. Magic Bullet wants to hear all of your delicious recipes! If you think you have the best snack recipe, share your recipe with the blogosphere – you might just win a Magic Bullet To Go along with the travel bag.

Just leave a comment sharing your snack food recipe and who knows maybe your recipe will influence a future Magic Bullet Recipes book! Also, in order to win you must become of fan of the Magic Bullet - The Official Page on facebook. Here is the link:
http://www.facebook.com/MagicBulletTheOfficialPage

The nice folks at Magic Bullet have offered a chance for FOUR of my followers to win a a Magic Bullet!  Leave your recipe as a comment, below, and you could be one of the lucky winners-- courtesy of Magic Bullet and A Feast for the Eyes.  The deadline to enter is 5pm EST on June 18th.  Magic Bullet will pick the lucky winners. One more thing-- this is only open to residents of the USA!

****All Entries have closed. Thanks for you recipes. Good luck, and the Magic Bullet folks will let me know who the winners are-- I will post the winners names, so stay tuned.***

Good luck!