Cowboy Coffee Cake

We are still unpacking from our move to a new house and getting used to the new kitchen.The new kitchen comes with a new oven to learn, so I've been leaning towards familiar recipes that I know work for me. Ovens can run hot or cold, and if they are out of level or have old heating elements then food can cook unevenly. So far, I think this new oven runs pretty true to temperature, though it takes a lot longer to pre-heat than my last couple. 

This coffee cake recipe is a variant of one that my family has used for years, but with the spices in the cake instead of in the topping.

Ingredients

• 1 1/4 cups flour
• 3/4 cups dark brown sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/3 cup butter
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1 egg
• 2/3 cups buttermilk
• 1/2 cup chopped pecans

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350.
2. Grease a 9" square baking pan.
3. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, brown sugar, and salt.Using a pastry blender, cut in the butter until it looks like crumbs. This will be the base for both the cake and the struesel topping.
4. Remove 1/4 cup of the flour/butter/sugar mixture and set aside in a separate bowl. Add the nuts to the 1/2 cup struesel topping and toss together.
5. To the large bowl, add the baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and nutmeg.
6. In a medium mixing bowl, lightly beat the eggs with a whisk. Add the buttermilk and whisk until combined.
7. Add the liquid ingredients all at once to the dry, and stir with a spatula until well mixed.
8. Pour batter into the baking pan. Sprinkle the top with the struesel-nut topping.
9. Bake 35-40 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.