Brown Butter-Bourbon-Cherry Coffee Cake with Pecan Streusel

This cake came together recently on a whim. Inspired by a recipe my mom’s known for, one that uses Betty Crocker cake mix and a nutty streusel, my version, pumped up with brown butter, pecans and bourbon-soaked cherries, was a total hit. It’s moist and tender, with a little crunch, a bit of bourbon and brown butter fragrance, and a touch of sweet-sour cherry fruitiness. I’ve made it several times since and it gets devoured each and every time.

This cake starts with Betty Crocker yellow cake mix, plus brown butter, eggs, dried cherries, pecans and bourbon. (You’ll find the exact list of ingredients in the recipe below.)

Sprinkled over the top of the batter is a quick and easy streusel for extra sugary crunch. It comes together simply with butter, flour, sugar, pecans, plus a little bit of salt and cinnamon.

The cake gets baked and comes out moist and tender and smelling like a brown-butter-bourbon-y dream! Once it’s cooled, it’s delicious served as is, but you can take it over the top with a simple glaze of sour cream, milk and confectioner’s sugar. Enjoy!