Description
A special cake from Fine Cooking magazine that takes a little more time than usual...but well worth the effort!
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Directions
Position a rack in the center of the oven and heat the oven to 350 degrees. Generously butter a 10-inch tube pan with a removable bottom.
Make the topping: In a 2-quart saucepan, heat the butter over medium heat until almost melted. Remove from the heat and cool to tepid. In a medium bowl, combine the flour, pecans, both sugars, cinnamon, baking powder and salt and stir with a fork. Add the flour mixture to the butter and stir until evenly moistened and crumbly.
Make the filling: In a food processor, pulse the pecans, chopped chocolate, both sugars and cocoa until the chocolate is finely chopped, 12-14 pulses. Set aside 1/2 cup of this mixture as an additional topping.
Make the cake: In a medium bowl, whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. In a bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter on medium speed until smooth and creamy, 1-2 minutes. Add the sugar slowly, beating until combined. Scrape the bowl. Beat in the eggs one at a time, blending each one completely before adding the next. Scrape the bowl and blend in the vanilla. On low speed, alternate adding the dry ingredients and the sour cream, adding the flour in 4 parts and the sour cream in 3 parts, beginning and ending with the flour, and scraping the bowl as needed.
Spoon 2 generous cups of the batter into the prepared pan. Smooth with the back of a soupspoon, spreading the batter to the side of the pan first and then to the center. Sprinkle about 1/2 cup of the filling evenly over the batter. Cover the filling with about 2 more cups batter, dropping dollops around the pan and smoothing with the spoon. Sprinkle with another 1/2 cup filling evenly over the batter and cover with 2 more cups batter. Layer on another 1/2 cup filling and then the remaining batter. (You'll have 4 layers of batter and 3 layers of filling.) Insert a table knife 1 inch from the side of the pan straight into the batter going almost to the bottom. Run the knife around the pan 2 times, without lifting up the blade, spacing the circles about 1 inch apart. Smooth the top with the back of the soupspoon.
Take a handful of the streusel crumbs and squeeze firmly to form a large mass. Break up the mass into smaller clumps, distributing the streusel evenly over the batter. Repeat with the remaining streusel. Clump the reserved chocolate filling mixture together with your hands and sprinkle over the streusel. Press both toppings lightly into the surface of the cake. Bake until the top of the cake is golden brown, the sides are beginning to pull away from the pan, and a wooden skewer inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean, 70-75 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack and let cool for at least an hour before removing from the pan.
This cake keeps at room temperature, well-wrapped for up to 5 days or you can freeze it for up to 3 months. I like to serve it slightly warmed. Serves 16 or more.
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Ingredients
 Streusel Topping:
4 T. unsalted butter
2/3 cup flour
1/4 cup toasted and coarsely chopped pecans
2 T. sugar
2 T. light brown sugar
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
Filling:
1/2 cup toasted pecans
6 oz. coarsely chopped bittersweet chocolate
3 T. sugar
3 T. light brown sugar
3 T. unsweetened cocoa
Cake:
3 cups cake flour
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
3/4 tsp. salt
1 1/4 cups unsalted butter, slightly softened
1 2/3 cup superfine sugar
4 large eggs
2 tsp. vanilla
2 cups sour cream
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