With a layer of brown sugar pecan swirl inside the ultra tender bourbon pecan pumpkin cake and topped with a delicious bourbon pecan streusel and bourbon espresso drizzle, this bourbon pecan pumpkin coffee cake is the ultimate fall season bake!
What Makes this Coffee Cake So Special?
- Bourbon pecan pumpkin cake: Sour cream, pumpkin puree, and finely mixed toasted pecans make this cake ultra tender and flavorful with a deliciously tender and moist crumb. And yes, there’s a quarter cup of bourbon in it but it doesn’t make the cake taste boozy. Instead, it serves to enhance the fall flavors in the cake.
- Brown sugar pecan swirl: A mixture of finely chopped toasted pecans mixed with brown sugar is sprinkled in between the two layers of bourbon pecan pumpkin cake. This addition gives this coffee cake its signature dark middle layer and helps bring some added texture through the pecans.
- Bourbon pecan streusel: A delicious topping of brown sugar, bourbon, chopped pecans and whole wheat flour gives this cake a beautiful brown topping. I ended up using whole wheat flour because I ran out of all-purpose flour (!), but you can use AP flour or whole wheat flour for a nuttier flavor.
- Bourbon Espresso Drizzle: A little espresso powder and bourbon make this the perfect icing to complement the nutty fall flavors in the coffee cake.
Tips for the Bourbon Pecan Coffee Cake:
- I used a spring form pan so I could easily remove the sides, but you can use a buttered tube pan or square pan as well.
- For the pecans, I toasted 2 cups of whole pecans and used a food processor to grind 1/2 cup of the pecans to a fine flour-like texture for the cake batter and then I used the same bowl in the food processor to finely chop 1.5 cup of the toasted pecans for the brown sugar pecan swirl and the streusel topping.
Fore more pumpkin recipes, see:
For more bourbon-forward desserts, see:
Bourbon Pecan Coffee Cake
A layer of brown sugar pecan swirl inside the ultra tender bourbon pecan cake and a delicious bourbon pecan streusel and bourbon espresso drizzle make this the ultimate nutty coffee cake recipe.
Equipment
- 1 springform pan
- 1 food processor
- 1 handheld mixer
- 1 sheet tray
Ingredients
Bourbon Pecan Pumpkin Coffee Cake
- 8 tbsp butter (113 g), room temp
- ½ cup brown sugar (85 g)
- ¼ cup sugar (50g)
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 eggs, room temp
- ¾ cup sour cream, room temp (160g)
- ¼ cup pumpkin puree (60g)
- ¼ cup bourbon (35 ml)
- 2 tbsp heavy cream (30 ml)
- 2 cups all-purpose flour (330g)
- 2 cups pecans, divided (for cake batter and pecan swirl)
- ⅛ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp cinnamon
- 2 tsp baking powder (8 g)
- ½ tsp baking soda (2.5g)
Brown Sugar Pecan Swirl
- ⅓ cup brown sugar (65g)
Bourbon Pecan Streusel
- ½ cup brown sugar (85 g)
- 4 tbsp butter (65 g)
- ⅔ cup whole wheat flour (or all-purpose flour) (83g)
- 1 tbsp bourbon (15 ml)
- 1 cup chopped toasted pecans (125g)
Bourbon Espresso Drizzle
- ¾ cup powdered sugar (75 g)
- 3-5 tbsp heavy cream (45g + addition if need be)
- 1 tsp bourbon (5ml)
- 1 tsp espresso powder (optional) (5 g)
Instructions
- Heat oven to 350°. Butter springform pan. Once oven is heated, pour 2 cups of pecans on a baking sheet. Toast for 5-6 minutes. Set aside.
- Cream butter and sugars together until pale and fluffy. Around 2 minutes.
- Add the vanilla extract, pumpkin puree, bourbon, sour cream, eggs, and heavy cream. Mix until combined.
- In a food processor, place ½ cup of the toasted pecan and blitz until a fine flour-like texture. Set aside in a medium bowl.
- To the bowl with the ground pecans, add flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda, and cinnamon. Mix until combined.
Brown Sugar Pecan Swirl
- Take ½ cup of the toasted pecans and blitz in food processor until pecans are in small pieces (not too finely). Add to a bowl with brown sugar. Set aside.
Bourbon Pecan Streusel
- Combine all ingredients with a spoon or by hand. The texture should be chunky since you'll use your hands to sprinkle it on the cake
Assembly:
- Take half of the cake batter and spread on the bottom of the buttered springform pan. Next, sprinkle the brown sugar pecan swirl on top. Add the rest of the cake better and spread so that it covers most of the swirl. Lastly, take the streusel and use your hands to rub it together and sprinkle on top so the whole cake is covered.
- Bake for 60-65 minutes until toothpick or knife inserted comes out clean.
- Remove and let cool for 30 minutes.
Bourbon Espresso Drizzle
- combine powdered sugar and 3-5 tablespoons of heavy cream. You want the icing to be runny so add the heavy cream in increments. If too runny, add in a little powdered sugar. Add bourbon and espresso powder and mix until combined.
- Pour drizzle over cooled cake. Enjoy!