Recipe Friday: Butternut Squash Coffee Cake

OK, apples are over.  Now we're moving into more fall, which to me, means squash.  I LOVE winter squash, which I didn't really learn until I was in my mid-twenties.  I wish I had realized this sooner, since winter squash is really healthy for you.  "This food is low in Saturated Fat, and very low in Cholesterol and Sodium. It is also a good source of Vitamin K, Riboflavin, Folate, Potassium and Copper, and a very good source of Dietary Fiber, Vitamin A, Vitamin C, Vitamin B6 and Manganese."  I love to eat winter squash, roasted and pureed, which, yes, is basically baby food, but it's SO good!  We (Ellie, Vince and I) like to add a little brown sugar and cinnamon or, Ellie's favorite, pumpkin pie spice.  This recipe takes the puree and "hides" it in a coffee cake.  It's from another one of my favorite cookbooks, Jessica Seinfeld's Deceptively Delicious.
Coffee Cake (with Butternut Squash)

Batter:
Nonstick cooking spray
1C firmly packed brown sugar
4TBSP margarine
1 1/4C buttermilk or skim milk
1C sour cream
1 lg egg
2 tsp pure vanilla extract
2C whole wheat flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
1C butternut squash puree
1/2 C mini marshmallows

Topping:
1/2 C chopped pecans
1/4 C firmly packed brown sugar
2 tsp cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350 and coat a 9 inch cake pan or 8x8 inch baking pan with cooking spray

In a large mixing bowl or the bowl of an electric mixer, beat the sugar and margairne until creamy.  Beat in 1 cup of the milk, the sour cream, egg and vanilla.  Add the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt and mix until completely incorporated. 

Pour half of the batter into the pan and smooth the top.  Spread the squash puree over the batter and sprinkle with marshmallows.  Stir the remaining 1/4 C milk into the rest of the batter and spread evenly over the squash filling.

Mix together the topping ingredients and sprinkle evenly over the batter.  Bake until a toothpick comes out clean and inserted into the center of the cake, 55 to 60 minutes.  Let cool 5 minutes on a rack before cutting into wedges or squares.