Pear Coffee Cake with Toasted Pecan Streusel

Streusel

⅔ cup pecans, coarsely chopped

⅔ cup packed brown sugar

½ cup flour

1½ teaspoons ground cinnamon

4 tablespoons butter or margarine, softened

Coffee cake

2½ cups flour

1½ teaspoons baking powder

½ teaspoons baking soda

½ teaspoons salt

1¼ cup sugar

6 tablespoons butter or margarine, softened

2 large eggs

1½ teaspoons vanilla extract

1⅓ cup sour cream (regular or reduced fat)

3 ripe Bartlett pears, peeled, cored and cut into bite-sized cubes

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour 9-by-13-inch baking dish.

For the streusel: Spread pecans on a rimmed baking sheet and bake 5-10 minutes or until they just start to brown.

Meanwhile, mix brown sugar, flour and cinnamon in a food processor until well blended. Add butter or margarine and pulse until the butter is evenly distributed. Add cooled, toasted pecans, pulse briefly and set the streusel mixture aside.

For the coffee cake: Combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and sugar in a medium size bowl.

In a large bowl, with mixer at low speed, beat sugar and butter or margarine until well blended. Increase mixing speed and beat for about 2 minutes or until creamy. Reduce speed to low and add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in vanilla.

With mixer at low speed, alternately add blended flour mixture and sour cream. Fold in pears with a rubber spatula.

Spoon batter into prepared pan and spread evenly. Sprinkle top with streusel mixture. Bake for 45-50 minutes or until toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Cool cake in pan on wire rack.

Serves 16.