Makeover Maple Coffee Cake

So we had some friends in from out of town and Julie wanted to make them something yummy for breakfast. We saw this recipe in a Magazine (Cooking Light, I believe) and thought it would be a good one to try. Julie made this earlier this week and it turned out great! It was sweet enough without being over sugary and is on the healthier side of this kind of breakfast stuff. We used cinnamon applesauce to give it that additional spice. We also used almonds instead of Pecans because we had the almonds on hand. Overall, it was really good.

Ingredients

1/3 cup butter, softened

• 3/4 cup sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup fat-free milk
• 1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 2-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• FILLING:
• 1/2 cup finely chopped pecans
• 1/3 cup packed brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 2 tablespoons butter, melted
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• ICING:
• 1/4 cup confectioners' sugar
• 1-1/2 teaspoons fat-free milk
• 1/4 teaspoon maple flavoring

Directions

• In a large bowl, beat butter and sugar until crumbly, about 2 minutes. Add eggs; mix well. Beat in milk and applesauce (mixture may appear curdled). Combine the flour, baking powder, salt and baking soda; add to butter mixture just until moistened. Spread half of the batter into a 13-in. x 9-in. baking pan coated with cooking spray.
• Combine filling ingredients; sprinkle half of filling over the batter. Gently top with remaining batter and filling. Bake at 350° for 30-35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack.
• Combine icing ingredients until smooth; drizzle over coffee cake. Yield: 12 servings.