I’ve never understood coffee cakes. They contain no coffee and seem no different from any other cake except that they aren’t frosted. But Shamiq found Smitten Kitchen’s Chocolate Chip Sour Cream Coffee Cake really interesting and asked me to make it. So I did. The result is amazing. The cake itself is moist and easy to eat (I usually find cakes too dry and crumbly). I’m excited to try the basic cake batter with different toppings. Perhaps candied orange peel or ginger. Or a hint of marmalade?

Coffee Cake Base (from Smitten Kitchen)

1/2 cup unsalted butter (1 stick) at room temperature
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar (I used a little less)
3 large eggs, separated
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 cups (16 ounces) sour cream
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
3/4 teaspoon table salt

I also added: 1/4 teaspoon of ginger powder, 1/2 teaspoon of nutmeg and a pinch of allspice and black pepper

Coffee Cake Filling (also from the link above)

2 cups or 12 ounces semi-sweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon

The recipe has you cream the butter, then add the eggs yolks, then the dry ingredients. Lastly, whip the egg whites to soft peaks and fold the yolks in. Pour half the batter into a buttered 9×13 pan, then spread half the topping/filling, then add the other half of the batter, then the remaining half of the filling/topping.

Maybe a candied bacon and chocolate coffee cake?

Pictures to come. They’re still on my camera.