Most coffeecakes aren’t much more than yellow cake swirled with a sugary streusel . The flavor is bland and the texture–due to the heavy streusel–is dense and wet.This is a light coffeecake deeply flavored with pecans and spices. Here’s what you do…
Make the cake with a unique method in which very soft butter and eggs are beaten directly into the dry ingredients before the wet ingredients are incorporated.
The butter coats the flour, which makes the cake tender and moist—and never dense.
Toast the pecans in a skillet over medium heat to intensify their flavor.
Incorporate ground pecans into both the cake and the streusel.
Use maple syrup to both boost the nuts’ flavor and keep the cake moist

Pecan Sour Cream Coffee Cake (Adapted from Cooks Country)

For the streusel

1/2 cup pecans, toasted and cooled – then finely ground
3 tablespoons dark brown sugar
1 tablespoon flour
1 teaspoon cinnamon

Cake batter
16 tablespoons unsalted butter, very soft
6 large eggs
1 3/4 cups sour cream ( I used 2 % plain yogurt)
1/4 cup pure maple syrup
1 1/2 tablespoons vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup pecans, toasted and cooled – then finely ground
1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
1 1/2 tablespoons baking powder
1 1/4 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt

Preheat oven to 350

For the streusel –

In a small bowl, mix together ground pecans, sugar, flour and cinnamon.

For the batter –

In a medium bowl, whisk together eggs, sour cream, maple syrup and vanilla.

In a large mixing bowl, whisk together flours, ground pecans, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Add all the soft butter by tablespoons and then add half of the egg mixture. On low speed, beat mixture just until it starts to combine. Add the rest of the egg mixture, scrape the bowl, and then beat about 2 minutes on medium speed – the batter should be light and kind of fluffy.

Spray a 12 cup tube pan with cooking spray that has flour added (like Bakers Joy or Pam with Flour). Add about 5 cups of the cake batter and smooth the top. Scatter the streusel on top and then scoop and spread the remaining batter on top. Save a little streusel for the top of the cake

Bake for 55-65 minutes, until a wooden pick inserted into the center comes out with a few moist crumbs attached. Remove from the oven and cool on a wire rack for 10-15 minutes – then invert on a wire rack to cool completely.