Creme Fraiche Cardamom Coffee Cake

Here’s a quick and easy cake that’s not too sweet for breakfast or brunch. Crème Fraiche is the secret to its soft, moist texture. 

Makes 1 9- or 10-inch cake, about 12 servings.

Ingredients

The Topping
½ cup firmly packed golden brown sugar
½ cup chopped pecans
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon ground cardamom

The Cake:
1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ cup (4 ounces or 1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 ½ cups sugar
3 large eggs
1 cup Bellwether Farms Crème Fraiche
1 ½ teaspoons maple extract (vanilla can be substituted)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 9 or 10-inch pan; dust with flour. Mix the topping ingredients in small bowl; set aside.
2. In a medium bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder and baking soda. In a large bowl with a mixer, beat the butter and 1 ½ cups sugar until fluffy. Add eggs 1 at a time, beating just until combined after each addition. Mix the Crème Fraiche and maple or vanilla extract together then add to butter sugar mixture. Add sifted dry ingredients and mix until blended. Spoon half the batter into the prepared pan. Sprinkle half the topping mixture over and, with the blade of a small knife, gently swirl into the batter. Spoon in the remaining batter and sprinkle the remaining topping mixture.
3. Bake about 1 hour, until tester inserted near center comes out clean. Cool cake in pan 10 minutes. Cut around sides to loosen cake. Turn out onto a rack and cool completely. Wrap or cover and store at room temperature.