Spiced Gluten-Free Pumpkin Pecan Coffee Cake

So earlier this year, I came up with a blackberry coffee cake that became a big summer hit on my blog!  Turns out people really like having something a little sweet to go along with their coffee, so now I’ve decided to bring you an autumn-inspired coffee cake with the wonderful combination of pumpkin, cinnamon, clove, and pecan!  (You can never have too much pumpkin in the fall, right?  Nope, no way.)  

        Also earlier this year, I might have posted a Berries N' Cream Cupcake recipe that I forgot to take pictures of the final product for.  Well, I didn't forget exactly, but I ran into some technical difficulties.  The one nice thing about technical issues...you have a good reason for why you don't have the pictures.  You know, battery failure, battery backup failure, power outage, the dog ate my camera, that type of stuff.  Not such a funny story when you actually just plumb forget to take pictures of the finished recipe.  I think my fellow bloggers can relate to balancing blogging, working, and everyday life!  I hope you will enjoy this wonderful recipe with or without a finished product photo.  And hey, if you'd like to send me a picture of your finished coffee cake, the best photo will be posted on the blog with full credit going to you!

Here’s what you’ll need… 

Cake:

2 1/2 cups gluten free all-purpose flour 

1 tsp xanthan gum 

1 tsp baking powder 

1/2 tsp baking soda 

1 tsp cinnamon 

1 tsp nutmeg 

1/2 clove 

1/2 tsp salt 

1 cup sugar 

1 stick unsalted butter , softened  

2 eggs  

2 tsp vanilla extract 

1 tsp almond extract 

1 cup pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie mix) 

1/3 cup sour cream 

1/4 cup half and half cream.

 

 1 cup chopped pecans

Preheat your oven to 350°F.  Grease a 9X11 glass baking pan and set aside.

   

  In a large bowl, combine flour, xanthan gum, baking

powder, baking soda, spices, salt, and sugar.  Stir in the butter, eggs, vanilla, sour cream, and milk, mixing well after adding each ingredient. 

  Fold in chopped pecans then Scrape the batter into the prepared baking pan, and spread until evenly distributed.  Set aside until you are ready to add the topping.

Cinnamon Brown Sugar Topping

1/2 cup almond meal

 2 tsp cinnamon

 1/4 tsp salt

1/2 cup brown sugar

4 tbsp palm Shortening  

1 tsp vanilla extract

   In a medium bowl, combine almond meal, cinnamon, salt, brown sugar, vanilla, and palm shortening, mixing well.  The mixture will be relatively thick but soft. 

 

 Spread the topping over the batter .  

  Bake for about 40 – 45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean. 

  Allow the cake to cool completely then enjoy!  Cup of coffee not required...but highly recommended.