Oneforthetable.com

Is there anything better a nice piece of coffee cake in the morning with your coffee or tea? There isn't for me. In fact, I liked it so much, I knew I had to get this cake out of the house. I gave it all away, because I would have eaten the whole thing otherwise! With the right amount of sweet and crunch, it's the perfect treat for this time of year.

Coffee Cake

Serves 12 to 16

Cake:

3 cups all-purpose flour

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 1/2 cups sour cream, room temperature

2 teaspoon vanilla extract

12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature

1 cup sugar

1/2 cup packed dark brown sugar

Zest of one orange

3 large eggs, room temperature

3/4 cup chopped pecans, toasted

1 14-ounce can whole berry cranberry sauce

Glaze:

1 cup confectioners' sugar

1 1/2 tablespoons orange juice

Preheat oven to 350 F. Grease and flour (really well) a 12 cup tube or Bundt pan. In a bowl, whisk flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. In a separate bowl, mix sour cream and vanilla.

In a large bowl, using an electric mixer on medium speed, cream the butter, both sugars and the orange zest until fluffy and light, about 2 minutes. Beat in eggs, one at a time. Scrape down bowl. Beat in half the flour mixture, then all of the sour cream, then remaining flour, beating until just combined. Fold in pecans.

In a medium saucepan, warm cranberry sauce over medium-low heat, stirring, until softened. Spread 1/3 of the batter in the pan. Spread 1/2 of cranberry sauce over. Repeat layers, ending with last 1/3 of cake batter. Gently run a skewer or thin knife through batter to swirl cranberry sauce in a marble pattern. Bake cake until skewer inserted in center comes out clean, 55 to 65 minutes. Let cake cool in pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes; unmold onto rack to cool completely.

When cake is cool, whisk together confectioners' sugar and juice until glaze is smooth and has desired consistency (add more juice or sugar if too thick or thin). Drizzle glaze over cake. Let stand until glaze sets, about 10 minutes.

(Cathy Pollak runs her own vineyard and winery in the Willamette Valley of Oregon. She shares her love of food and wine at www.noblepig.com. One for the Table is Amy Ephron's online magazine that specializes in food, politics and love. www.oneforthetable.com.)