Chocolate Sour Cream Coffee Cake for Mom (or You)

Here's a perfect treat to bring to Mom on Mother's Day.  Easy to make and so delicious!  Chocolate Sour Cream Coffee Cake.

Better yet, bring a pot of coffee and some flowers and share it her :)  She would love that.

My husband's grandmother made the best Sour Cream Coffee Cake.  When she made it, she would always make enough for the church bake sale plus send small aluminum tins of it home with any family member who visited her.  I think this one may have just bested Grammie's.

There's a good chance you have everything you need to make this already in your pantry and frig.

Wishing all of my lovely friends a Happy Mother's Day!

Chocolate Sour Cream Coffee Cake

Printable Recipe

Serves 8 to 12 using a 9-inch square baking pan

Topping:

1/2 cup light brown sugar
1 tablespoon cocoa
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 cup chocolate chips (I coarsely chopped them)
1/2 cup chopped pecans
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter, melted and cooled

In a large bowl, stir together the brown sugar, cocoa, cinnamon, chocolate chips, pecans and butter. Set aside.

Cake:

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter
1 cup plus 1-1/2 tablespoons sugar
2 eggs
1 cup sour cream
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups (6.4 ounces) flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
Prepared topping

Heat the oven to 350 degrees.

With a mixer, cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy about 3 to 5 minutes. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating each one until incorporated.  Slowly mix in the sour cream and vanilla until smooth.

Sift together the flour, baking soda and salt in a separate bowl.

Fold the dry ingredients slowly into the butter and egg mixture to form a lumpy batter.  Continue folding until no large lumps remain.

Spoon one-half of the batter into a greased 9-inch-square baking pan, then layer with half of the topping. Layer with the remaining batter, then the remaining topping.

Bake until the coffee cake is puffed and golden and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 35-45 minutes (depending on your oven).  Cool slightly before serving.

Adapted from the LA Times and Heirloom Bakery

Date and Nut Cake

Here is a very simple and unique date nut cake that you can whip together in no time at all and doesn't need any embellishments whatsoever. 

You could dust it with powdered sugar but I chose not to so you could see the meringue-like topping to this cake.  The texture of this cake is so interesting and delicious! The recipe was found in one of my oldest cookbooks.  It's called, American Cooks by the General Federation of Women's Clubs and was recommended to me by a chef who married my college roommate.  I would venture to say that it's still one of the most valuable cookbooks in my collection!

I also have some flower ideas for your spring buffet or table.  Take a shallow dish and put some water in it.  Add any flowers you like, trimming the stems as necessary, and cover with a pretty clear bowl or upside down vase. 

Use pretty wine glasses to display blooms.  Here is a glass I saved from my mother's home that brings back wonderful memories of her. 

Another favorite is to use egg cups as vases.  They make charming little floral displays.   

If you have some early spring blooms in your yard, this is a great way to use them!

Date and Nut Cake

Printable Recipe

1 cup presifted flour (I used AP flour)
1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
1 cup sugar
2 cups coarsely chopped pecans
16-24 ounces dates, pitted and chopped (I used 16 ounces)
4 eggs, separated
1 teaspoon vanilla

Preheat oven to 350F. Grease a 9-inch square baking pan and line the bottom with parchment paper or waxed paper.

In a large mixing bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, salt and sugar. Stir in the pecans and dates.

In a small mixing bowl, beat the egg yolks and vanilla until light yellow.

In large mixing bowl, beat the egg whites until stiff but not dry. Fold egg yolk mixture into egg whites. Fold in the flour mixture and pour out into the prepared pan.

Bake in preheated oven for 40 to 45 minutes. Cool 10 minutes and remove onto a wire rack to cool completely. (Place wire rack upside down over pan and tip both over to remove cake).

Cut into squares and serve.

Apple Cranberry Almond Streusel Cake

I'm still working on satisfying my autumn cravings!  After seeing this cake on Pinterest recently, I was taken by the creamy texture of this coffee cake dotted with bright red cranberries.  

When I found the recipe and read the list of ingredients there weren't even any almonds in it!  Just a tiny bit of almond extract.  So, I made a few changes and added some chopped almonds to the streusel topping and also added some chopped apples to the cranberries in the filling.

The result was a wonderfully delicious fall dessert - perfect for snacking on any time of day! Actually, I've been snacking on it for several days so I know it keeps well covered and refrigerated.

If you don't like cranberries (growing up in Wisconsin, it's in your DNA), you could substitute reconstituted dried cherries.  I like to reconstitute dried cherries in a little Kirsch liqueur but Triple Sec or Grand Marnier would also make good reconstituting liquids as well as plain orange juice.

A little sprinkle of powdered sugar, slice and enjoy!  The generous amount of sour cream in this recipe creates a moist, almost creamy texture.  I found I had to bake it slightly longer. This would make a delicious dessert for a holiday brunch! 

As October draws to a close, we are surrounded by a sea of yellow, which means that soon the trees will be bare. I can't complain, it's been a beautiful October - one of the nicest I can remember. 

 

Cranberry Apple Almond-Streusel Cake

Printable Recipe

Serves 12 or More

Note: I used a 9-inch spring-form pan with 3" sides. You could also use a 10" spring-form pan with 2" sides.

Cake:

2-1/2 cups all-purpose flour (I used half white whole-wheat flour)
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, room temperature
3/4 cup granulated sugar
3 large eggs, room temperature
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
1-1/2 cups sour cream
2 cups fresh cranberries, rinse and dried
1 cup (1 large) apple, peeled, cored and cut into 1/2 inch dice
4 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 heaping teaspoon flour

Streusel Topping:

1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup (1 stick) cold butter, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
1/2 cup chopped almonds (I used slivered almonds and chopped them coarsely)

Preheat oven to 350 F. Butter the pan or spray with Baking Spray such as Bakers Joy

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour and baking powder (be sure it's fresh). Set aside.

In a stand mixer, cream the butter and sugar until light. Add the eggs, one at a time, until blended. Add the extracts and sour cream and mix together. Add the flour mixture and mix until combined.

In a small bowl, toss the cranberries and apple chunks and toss with the sugar and flour. Fold the fruit into the batter.

Pour the batter into the prepared pan.

To make the streusel, place all ingredients into a medium bowl. Work in the butter with your fingers or pastry cutter until everything is blended and crumbly. Sprinkle over the batter in the pan and level with your fingers.

Bake the cake until golden brown, approximately 50-60 minutes, or until a toothpick insert in the center comes out clean. Note: My cake took slightly longer because I used a deeper pan. Cool in the pan on a rack for about 30 minutes and remove the side of the spring-form pan.

Biscoff Cookie Coffee Cake

Recently, a representative from Lotus Bakery (the makers of Biscoff Cookies) asked me if I would like a package of Biscoff cookies to use as inspiration for a recipe. Biscoff is expanding their website to include more recipes from home cooks and bloggers.  Of course, I said "Yes!" because I love Biscoff cookies. I am so happy that Biscoff cookies have gained such popularity here that it is no longer difficult finding them in stores.

The logo on the package was my inspiration.  "Europe's Favorite Cookie with Coffee".  This made me think how delicious a coffee cake would be with that wonderful Biscoff flavor. But how would I make a coffee cake with cookies?

I remembered a series of cakes that I saw on Chiara's blog La Voglia Matta.  Her cakes were made with a different variety of crushed cookies in place of flour. This was the answer!  I was able to find several other recipes online using a similar method, including this one posted on Taste of Home.  I decided to use the proportions that Chiara used since I needed a smaller amount of batter.

Crushed Biscoff cookies, toasted coconut and pecans, a little sugar, butter, eggs and vanilla created these beautiful mini bundt cakes made with my new Nordic Ware bundt duet cake mold.

Moist and delicious on their own, I decided to 'gild the lily' and cover one of them with a glaze made from brown sugar, butter, coconut and chopped pecans.  Oh my!  It was delicious. If you've ever had Biscoff cookies, you will able to imagine the wonderful flavor.

I found that the mini bundt cakes fit perfectly on my small marble cheese platter with glass dome :) I even had three cookies from the package to enjoy with my coffee the next morning :)

 

Biscoff Cookie Coffee Cake

from Savoring Time in the Kitchen
Printable Recipe

14-15 tablespoons softened butter (150 g)
4 whole eggs
1/4 cup plus 1 generous tablespoon milk (80 ml)
3/4 cup sugar (200 g)
2 cups crushed Biscoff cookies (220 g) I used all but 3-1/2 cookies from the 8.8 oz pkg.
3/4 cup chopped pecans, toasted (80 g)
3/4 cup unsweetened coconut, toasted (50 g)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Equipment:  A well butterered pan or mold. (I advise also spraying with Bakers Joy for easy release.) My bundt duet molds were a combined 5 cup capacity so you can judge what size mold to use.

Crush the Biscoff Cookies in a food processor so that they are finely chopped but not reduced to powder.

Toast the coconut and pecans in a 350 oven separately until slightly browned and fragrant. The pecans take about 6-7 minutes and the coconut less time, about 4-5 minutes. Watch the coconut carefully so it does not burn. Allow to cool to room temperature.

In a stand mixer, cream the butter with the sugar. Add the eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Pour in the milk and vanilla and continue to mix gently. Add the crushed Biscoff cookies, coconut and pecans and pour into a well buttered mold. Note: I read that some people had difficulty removing this cake from a molds so I brushed my mold with melted butter and then also sprayed them with Bakers Joy and my cakes released perfectly.

Bake about 340F (160-170 C). My two small bundt pans were done is about 25 minutes. The cake will take take 50-60 minutes in a larger pan. Check with a toothpick at least 5 minutes before the end of the stated times.

I placed a cooling rack over the hot pan and inverted my cakes immediately (with oven mitts on).  

Coconut Pecan Glaze (optional)

1/4 cup packed brown sugar

1 tbsp of water

1 tbsp of butter

2 tbsp pecans, chopped

2 tbsp of shredded unsweetened coconut

Combine the brown sugar, water, butter, pecans and coconut in a small pan over medium heat; bring to a boil and cook for 1 minute, stirring constantly. Quicky spread the warm frosting over cake.