Archive for the ‘Cakes’ Category

National Chocolate Cake Day – Thursday, January 27th

January 25th, 2011 by andrea | 1 Comment | Filed in Baking, Cakes, Chocolate, Dessert, Recipes

National Chocolate Cake Day, the day all chocolate cake lovers wait for, is coming up on Thursday, January 27th! I can barely contain myself!!! A piece of moist, rich chocolate cake is one of my favorite guilty pleasures. If you’re looking to celebrate this delicious “holiday”, then try out one of these recipes:

Chocolate Sour Cream Cake

 

 

 

Dark Chocolate Cupcakes

 

 

 

Chocolate Mayonnaise Cake

 

 

 

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National Bundt Cake Day – November 15

November 15th, 2010 by andrea | 2 Comments | Filed in Baking, Cakes, Christmas, Cookware & Cooking Gadgets, Dessert, Recipes, Thanksgiving

In honor of today (November 15) being National Bundt Cake Day, I’m reposting a few delicious bundt cake recipes that are perfect for the upcoming holidays.

And of course, to make a bundt cake, you have to have a bundt cake pan. I love my Nordic Ware Bundt Cake Pan. The pan is heavy duty and has a nonstick finish…it’s awesome! I actually have two of them because I make so many bundt cakes (often times multiple cakes for the same event). If you don’t have a bundt cake pan, are in need of a new one or are looking for a fun gift idea for a baker, you can’t go wrong with a Nordic Ware pan! Every kitchen should have one!! As a side note, Nordic Ware is the company that introduced the bundt cake (and the pan needed to bake it) back in the 1950s.

I believe the world is a happier place because of bundt cakes! Enjoy!

Pumpkin & Ginger Poundcake: This bundt cake is a perfect alternative to pumpkin pie!

Pear Spice Cake: Loaded with pears and warm spices, this simple bundt cake is an Autumn favorite of ours.

Cranberry-Almond Coffee Cake: Great as a coffee cake or dessert, this bundt cake is a perfect use for leftover cranberry sauce.

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Old-Fashioned Apple Cake with Brown Sugar Frosting

October 15th, 2010 by andrea | 4 Comments | Filed in Autumn, Baking, Cakes, Cookies & Bars, Dessert, Recipes

To me, fresh apple cake is the epitome of autumn! A friend gave me a bag of apples from her backyard tree recently so, of course, I had to find something new and delicious to make with them. What I settled on was this recipe for Old-Fashioned Apple Cake with Brown Sugar Frosting. It’s moist, delicious, super easy to make and loaded with appley goodness. 

I made a few slight changes to the recipe but nothing drastic. For the cake, I decreased the sugar from 2 cups to 1-1/2 cups, which was perfect because the brown sugar frosting adds sweetness, too. Also, I substituted 1 teaspoon cinnamon, 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg and 1/4 teaspoon allspice for the 1-1/2 teaspoons apple pie spice, and added a splash of vanilla to the cake batter. I chose not to use nuts, although chopped pecans would be a good addition. I thought the cake was actually better the day after it was made so I encourage you to make it a day before you plan to serve it. Enjoy!

 Old-Fashioned Apple Cake with Brown Sugar Frosting 
-recipe from King Arthur Flour

This cake is an old, old favorite of ours. It’s a cake where the whole is definitely more than the sum of the parts. The moist, semi-chunky cake, spread with the frosting equivalent of brown sugar fudge, is perfect served with a cup of coffee or, better still, a glass of ice-cold milk.

Cake
2 1/3 cups (9 3/4 ounces) King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
2 cups (14 ounces) granulated sugar (I used 1-1/2 cups)
2 teaspoons baking soda
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoons apple pie spice (I used 1 tsp. cinnamon, 1/4 tsp. nutmeg, 1 tsp. allspice)
2 large eggs
1/2 cup (3 1/4 ounces) vegetable shortening (trans-fat free)
4 cups (12 ounces) peeled, chopped apples (about 1 pound before peeling)
1 cup (4 ounces) walnuts, chopped

Brown Sugar Frosting
5 tablespoons (2 1/2 ounces) unsalted butter
1/2 cup (3 1/4 ounces) firmly packed brown sugar (light or dark)
3 tablespoons (1 1/2 ounces) milk
1 1/2 cups (6 ounces) confectioners’ sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Cake: Preheat the oven to 325°F. Grease and flour a 9 x 13-inch pan.

Mix all of the ingredients except the apples and walnuts in a large bowl. Beat until well combined; the mixture will be crumbly. Add the apples and walnuts, and mix until the apples release some of their juice and the crumbly mixture becomes a thick batter, somewhere between cookie dough and brownie batter in consistency.

Spread the batter in the prepared pan, smoothing it with your wet fingers. Bake the cake for 45 minutes, or until the cake tests done. Remove from the oven and place on a rack, to cool completely; don’t remove the cake from pan. When the cake is completely cool, frost with Brown Sugar Frosting.

Frosting: Melt the butter in a small pan over medium heat. Stir in the brown sugar and cook, stirring, until the sugar melts. Add the milk, bring to a boil, and pour into a mixing bowl to cool for 10 minutes.

After 10 minutes, stir in the confectioners’ sugar and vanilla. Beat well; if the mixture appears too thin, add more confectioners’ sugar. Spread on the cake while frosting is still warm.

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Chocolate Sour Cream Cake

September 21st, 2010 by andrea | 10 Comments | Filed in Baking, Cakes, Chocolate, Comfort Food, Dessert, Kid-friendly, Recipes

One of my kids recently requested (verbatim) chocolate cake with chocolate frosting and sprinkles for his birthday treat. After doing a quick recipe search, I decided to make him a Chocolate Sour Cream Cake. The very moist, very chocolatey and very delicious cake was a hit with the Birthday Boy! Is there anything better than that?

I chose to make my own frosting so I can’t vouch for that part of the recipe. I can, however, vouch for the cake! In fact, I’m having a piece right now as I’m writing this post…Mmmmmm. 

Chocolate Sour Cream Cake
-recipe from Hershey’s.com

Makes 12 to 15 servings.

1-3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1-3/4 cups sugar
3/4 cup HERSHEY’S Cocoa
1-1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2/3 cup butter or margarine, softened
1 container (16 oz.) dairy sour cream
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
FUDGE FROSTING(recipe follows)
 
Heat oven to 350°F. Grease and flour 13x9x2-inch baking pan.

Stir together flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda and salt in large bowl. Add butter, sour cream, eggs and vanilla; beat on medium speed of mixer 3 minutes. Pour batter into prepared pan.

Bake 40 to 45 minutes or until wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pan on wire rack. Frost with FUDGE FROSTING.

FUDGE FROSTING

Makes about 1 cup frosting.

3 tablespoons butter or margarine
1/3 cup HERSHEY’S Cocoa
1-1/3 cups powdered sugar
2 to 3 tablespoons milk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Melt butter in small saucepan over low heat. Add cocoa; cook, stirring constantly, just until mixture begins to boil. Pour mixture into medium bowl; cool completely. Add powdered sugar alternately with milk to cocoa mixture, beating to spreading consistency. Stir in vanilla.

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Blueberry-Lemon Cornmeal Cake

August 19th, 2010 by andrea | 5 Comments | Filed in Baking, Breakfast, Cakes, Dessert, Recipes, Summer

Blueberries and lemon…I love the flavor combination! This easy-to-make cake highlights this beautiful summer berry in a delicious way! The addition of cornmeal adds a little texture without making the cake heavy or gritty. I took the Blueberry-Lemon Cornmeal Cake to a recent dinner gathering along with a Raspberry-Peach Cake. I guess our friends liked the cakes because there weren’t any pieces left for me to bring home (always a good sign!). I served both cakes with lightly sweetened freshly whipped cream. Delicious!

The recipe calls for finely ground yellow cornmeal, which I couldn’t find so I used Albers Yellow Corn Meal. The box of Albers doesn’t state what grind it is (fine, medium, etc.) but it seemed to be on the finer side so I went with it. The Albers cornmeal worked great.

The recipe also calls for tossing the blueberries with flour and sugar before sprinkling them over the batter. After the cake baked, however, some of the blueberries still had some flour on them. Partially white blueberries was not the look I was going for so I decided to make a quick lemon glaze to brush over the warm cake. I squeezed the juice from half a lemon into a small bowl and added enough sugar (a few tablespoons) until the lemon-sugar mixture was pleasantly sweet-tart. I then added a teaspoon or so of water and microwaved the mixture for a minute or so until the sugar dissolved. Give the syrup a stir then microwave for approximately 30 more seconds if you still see some sugar granules. Keep doing this until you have a clear syrup. Once the lemon syrup was ready, I brushed the cake and the whitish berries to “hide” any spots of flour left on them. My little trick worked like a charm! The syrup masked any leftover flour coating and added an extra hit of lemon flavor to the cake. Sweet!

Blueberry-Lemon Cornmeal Cake
-recipe from Fine Cooking Magazine

The combination of cornmeal and buttermilk offers both texture and tang. Serves eight to ten.

6 oz. (1-1/3 cups) unbleached all-purpose flour; more for the pan
1/4 cup (1-1/2 ounces) finely ground yellow cornmeal
1 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. table salt
3 oz. (6 Tbs.) unsalted butter, at room temperature; more for the pan
1 cup granulated sugar
1 tsp. finely grated lemon zest
2 large eggs
1 Tbs. fresh lemon juice
1/2 cup buttermilk

For the topping:
1 cup (about 5 oz.) fresh blueberries, rinsed and well dried
1 Tbs. granulated sugar
1 Tbs. unbleached all-purpose flour

Position a rack in the center of the oven and heat the oven to 350° F. Lightly butter a 9×2-inch round cake pan. Line the bottom with a parchment round cut to fit the pan, lightly flour the sides, and tap out the excess.

In a medium bowl, whisk the flour, cornmeal, baking powder, baking soda, and salt until well blended. In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or with a hand mixer), beat the butter, sugar, and lemon zest on medium high until well blended and fluffy, about 3 min. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating on medium speed until just blended and adding the lemon juice with the second egg (the batter will appear curdled; don’t worry). Using a wide rubber  spatula, fold in half the dry ingredients, then the buttermilk, and then the remaining dry ingredients. Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and spread evenly. Bake for 15 min.

Meanwhile, make the topping.
Combine the blueberries, sugar, and flour in a small bowl. Using a table fork, mix the ingredients, lightly crushing the blueberries and evenly coating them with the flour and sugar. After the cake has baked for 15 min., slide the oven rack out and quickly scatter the blueberries evenly over the top of the cake (discard any flour and sugar that doesn’t adhere to the berries). Continue baking until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean, another 23 to 25 min.

Let the cake cool on a rack for 15 min. Run a knife around the inside edge of the pan. Using a dry dishtowel to protect your hands, lay a rack on top of the cake pan and, holding onto both rack and pan, and invert the cake. Lift the pan from the cake. Peel away the parchment. Lay a flat serving plate on the bottom of the cake and flip the cake one more time so that the blueberries are on top. Serve warm or at room temperature.

From Fine Cooking 80, pp. 69
September 1, 2006

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Raspberry-Peach Cake

July 13th, 2010 by andrea | 5 Comments | Filed in Baking, Cakes, Dessert, Recipes, Summer

This simple, fruit-studded cake is the perfect ending to a summer meal. I love the combination of peaches, raspberries and a hint of orange…delicious! I like to serve it at room temperature with a dollop of lightly sweetened, freshly whipped cream. The texture of the cake is best the day it’s made but leftovers are great with a morning cup of coffee.

I’ve tried making the cake with frozen raspberries but it works much better with fresh berries. The frozen berries make the batter too cold and then the cake takes FOREVER to bake (which results in the outside being too brown while the middle cooks). If you need to use frozen berries or peaches, let them come to room temperature before sprinkling them over the cake batter. Enjoy!

Raspberry-Peach Cake
-recipe from Fine Cooking Magazine

To draw out flavor from less than perfectly ripe fruit, toss it with a little extra sugar and a squeeze of lemon juice.
Serves eight to ten.

6 oz. (1-1/3 cups) unbleached all-purpose flour; more for the pan
1 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. table salt
6 Tbs. (3 oz.) unsalted butter, at room temperature; more for the pan
1 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1-1/2 tsp. finely grated orange zest
1/2 tsp. pure vanilla extract
2/3 cup plain yogurt

For the topping:
1/2 large, ripe peach or nectarine (about 3-3/4 oz.), halved and cut into very thin slices (aim for 1/16 inch)
3/4 cup (3-3/4 oz.) fresh raspberries
1 Tbs. granulated sugar
1 Tbs. unbleached all-purpose flour

Position a rack in the center of the oven and heat the oven to 350°F. Lightly butter a 9×2-inch  round cake pan. Line the bottom with a parchment circle cut to fit the pan, lightly flour the sides, and tap out the excess.

In a medium bowl, whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt until well blended. In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or with a hand mixer), beat the butter and sugar on medium-high until well blended and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating on medium speed until just blended, and adding the orange zest and vanilla with the second egg. Using a wide rubber spatula, fold in half the dry ingredients, then the yogurt, and then the remaining dry ingredients. Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and spread evenly. Bake for 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, make the topping:
Combine the peach slices, raspberries, sugar, and flour in a small bowl. Using a table fork, mix the ingredients to evenly coat the fruit and lightly crush the raspberries. After the cake has baked for 15 minutes, slide the oven rack out and scatter the fruit evenly over the top of the cake, working quickly. Continue baking until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean, another 25 to 30 minutes.

Let the cake cool on a rack for 15 minutes. Run a knife around the inside edge of the pan to loosen the cake. Using a dry dishtowel to protect your hands, lay a rack on top of the cake pan and, holding onto both rack and pan, invert the cake. Lift the pan from the cake. Peel away the parchment. Set a flat plate on the bottom of the cake and flip the cake one more time so that the fruit is on top. Serve warm or at room temperature.

From Fine Cooking 80, pp. 68
September 1, 2006

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Strawberry Shortcake for a crowd

June 25th, 2010 by andrea | 14 Comments | Filed in Baking, Cakes, Dessert, Recipes

I love shortcake desserts! You pretty much can’t go wrong with a lightly sweetened biscuit (or in this case, cake) topped with fresh fruit and freshly whipped cream. YUMM! This recipe for Strawberry Shortcake is from Emeril’s Potluck Cookbookand is a perfect way to feed shortcake to a crowd. The sturdy sponge cake stands up nicely to the fruit and it’s juices…and it’s really pretty!

This dessert is best when served shortly after it’s made so if you need something made the day before an event (or even earlier in the day), find a different dessert. You can make the cake a day in advance, and prepare the strawberries and whip the cream (seperately) then assemble the dessert shortly before serving. The longer the dessert sits, however, the higher the risk of having mushy cake. If you don’t want to serve the shortcake in a bowl, you can also layer the berries and cream over the whole cake or just cut pieces of cake and pile the berries and cream on each serving. It’s not rocket science so you can make it how you want it.

Recipe changes I made: For the strawberries, I used less sugar and substituted some orange juice for the Grand Marnier (I didn’t want the pregnant ladies to get liquored up). Also, I added a teaspoon or so of vanilla to the cake.

Strawberry Shortcake
-recipe from Emeril’s Potluck Cookbookby Emeril Lagasse

Ingredients
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled, plus 2 teaspoons, softened
6 large eggs, at room temperature
2 tablespoons milk, at room temperature
3 1/3 cups granulated sugar
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 pounds strawberries, rinsed, hulled, and sliced
1/2 cup orange-flavored liqueur, plus a little more for drizzling (recommended: Grand Marnier)
1 1/2 teaspoons orange zest
2 1/2 cups heavy cream
5 tablespoons confectioners’ sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Directions
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F and grease a 9 by 13-inch glass casserole with the 2 teaspoons of butter and set aside.

Combine the eggs and milk in a large bowl and beat with an electric mixer until frothy. Add 1 1/3 cups of the sugar and continue to beat at high speed until the mixture is quite thick and pale yellow, about 7 to 10 minutes.

Sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl. Fold this mixture gently into the egg mixture. Gently stir in the melted butter and then transfer the batter to the prepared baking pan and bake in the center of the oven until risen and golden brown, about 30 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool on a wire rack before proceeding.

Make the strawberry topping by combining the strawberries, remaining 2 cups sugar, 1/2 cup orange liqueur, and orange zest in a large bowl and tossing to combine. Let sit at room temperature for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until all sugar is dissolved. Refrigerate, covered, until ready to assemble the dessert.

Make the whipped cream by combining the heavy cream with the confectioners’ sugar in a large bowl and beating with an electric mixer or whisk until slightly thickened. Add the vanilla and continue to beat until the mixture nearly forms stiff peaks.

When ready to assemble the dessert, poke holes all over the cake using a cake tester or toothpick. Drizzle cake with a little orange liqueur. Cut the cake into 1 1/2-inch cubes and place half of the cake cubes on the bottom of a deep-sided dessert bowl. Add half of the strawberry mixture over the top of the cake cubes, juices and all, spreading strawberries evenly with a spatula and allowing the juices to absorb into the cake. Top with the remaining cake cubes and then the remaining strawberries. Top with the whipped cream and serve immediately or refrigerate for up to 1 hour in advance before serving.

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Dark Chocolate Cupcakes

June 21st, 2010 by andrea | 16 Comments | Filed in Baking, Cakes, Chocolate, Dessert, Kid-friendly, Recipes

A friend recently requested chocolate cupcakes with coconut frosting for her birthday treat. She was very specific; she wanted a bite-sized dessert that would taste like a Mounds candy bar. After doing a recipe search and not finding exactly what I was looking for, I decided to wing it. Since I wanted a moist and very chocolatey cupcake, I went with a recipe for Dark Chocolate Cupcakes that I’ve had great results with. The batter is made with sour cream and two kinds of chocolate (bittersweet and cocoa powder). Yumm!

I made a basic cream cheese frosting and flavored it with a little coconut extract, vanilla and sweetened shredded coconut. I mounded a blob of icing onto each cooled cupcake, swirling it around to make it look pretty then garnished it with a bit more shredded coconut. The result was a perfect Mounds Cupcake. My friend was so excited when she saw them, and even more excited once she took a bite.

These delicious dark chocolate cupcakes go great with a variety of frostings, such as cream cheese, vanilla, or berry (strawberry, raspberry). Enjoy!!!

Dark Chocolate Cupcakes
-recipe from Cook’s Illustrated (March 1, 2005)

This recipe does not double very well. Cupcakes made from a doubled batch and baked side by side in the oven yield a slightly compromised rise. It’s best to make two separate batches and bake each separately. Store leftover cupcakes (frosted or unfrosted) in the refrigerator, but let them come to room temperature before serving.

Makes 12 cupcakes. 

 8 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 4 pieces
2 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped
1/2 cup Dutch-processed cocoa (1 1/2 ounces)
3/4 cup unbleached all-purpose flour (3 3/4 ounces)
1/2 teaspoon baking soda 
3/4 teaspoon baking powder 
2 large eggs 
3/4 cup sugar (5 1/4 ounces)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract 
1/2 teaspoon table salt 
1/2 cup sour cream (4 ounces)

Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position; heat oven to 350 degrees. Line standard-sized muffin pan (cups have 1/2-cup capacity) with baking-cup liners.

Combine butter, chocolate, and cocoa in medium heatproof bowl. Set bowl over saucepan containing barely simmering water; heat mixture until butter and chocolate are melted and whisk until smooth and combined. Set aside to cool until just warm to the touch.

Whisk flour, baking soda, and baking powder in small bowl to combine.

Whisk eggs in second medium bowl to combine; add sugar, vanilla, and salt and whisk until fully incorporated. Add cooled chocolate mixture and whisk until combined. Sift about one-third of flour mixture over chocolate mixture and whisk until combined; whisk in sour cream until combined, then sift remaining flour mixture over and whisk until batter is homogenous and thick.

Divide batter evenly among muffin pan cups. Bake until skewer inserted into center of cupcakes comes out clean, 18 to 20 minutes.

Cool cupcakes in muffin pan on wire rack until cool enough to handle, about 15 minutes. Carefully lift each cupcake from muffin pan and set on wire rack. Cool to room temperature before icing, about 30 minutes. (To frost: Mound about 2 tablespoons icing on center of each cupcake. Using small icing spatula or butter knife, spread icing to edge of cupcake, leaving slight mound in center.)

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Sour Cream and Lemon Pound Cake

May 3rd, 2010 by andrea | 25 Comments | Filed in Baking, Cakes, Dessert, Recipes

There’s nothing like a good, homemade pound cake served with fresh berries.  This recipe for Sour Cream and Lemon Pound Cake is easy to make, moist and velvety, and has a light lemony flavor. It’s a great dessert for Spring and Summer celebrations and gatherings.

The first time I made the cake, it seemed a bit “eggy” to me so this time I used 5 eggs instead of 6. I also added a teaspoon of vanilla to the batter. After I took the cake out of the oven, I went for a run, which meant the cake cooled in the pan on a rack for about an hour. When I tried to turn out the cake, it stuck in a few places. I’m not sure if I didn’t grease the pan good enough or if it sat too long in the pan. Anyway, I didn’t sweat it…I just made a quick glaze with lemon juice and powdered sugar to drizzle on the cake. Not only did the glaze add more lemony flavor but it did a nice job of covering the holes. Serve with fresh berries.

Sour Cream and Lemon Pound Cake
-recipe from Bon Appétit Magazine

Yield: Serves 12

3 cups cake flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
3 cups sugar
6 eggs, room temperature
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon grated lemon peel
1 cup sour cream

Preheat oven to 325°F. Grease 16-cup tube pan. Dust pan with cake flour; tap out excess flour.

Sift flour, baking soda and salt into medium bowl. Using electric mixer, beat butter in large bowl at medium speed until fluffy. Gradually add sugar and beat 5 minutes. Add eggs 1 at a time, beating just until combined after each addition. Beat in lemon juice and peel. Using rubber spatula, mix in dry ingredients. Mix in sour cream. Transfer batter to prepared pan.

Bake cake until tester inserted near center comes out clean, about 1 hour 30 minutes. Let cake cool in pan on rack 15 minutes. Cut around cake in pan. Turn out cake.

Carefully turn cake right side up on rack and cool completely. (Can be prepared 2 days ahead. Wrap in foil and let stand at room temperature.)

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Banana Coffee Cake with Chocolate Chip Streusel

January 27th, 2010 by andrea | 3 Comments | Filed in Baking, Breakfast, Cakes, Chocolate, Dessert

If you’ve got a few ripe bananas to use up then you should give this recipe a try. It’s moist, easy to make and a nice change from plain ol’ banana bread. Each bite of this coffee cake is loaded with cinnamon and chocolatey goodness.

The recipe calls for a metal pan but the glass Pyrex 8×8 pan I used worked fine. I added a teaspoon of vanilla to the cake batter and omitted the walnuts from the streusel. Speaking of the streusel, next time I’d only use about a teaspoon of cinnamon instead of the tablespoon that the recipe calls for. And you could cut down on the chocolate chips if you want it less chocolatey.

Banana Coffee Cake with Chocolate Chip Streusel
-recipe from Bon Appétit Magazine

Use bananas with some black spots on the skin, a sign that they are really ripe. Makes 12 servings.

1 1/4 cups semisweet chocolate chips (about 8 ounces)
2/3 cup (packed) golden brown sugar
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 large egg
1 1/3 cups mashed very ripe bananas (about 3 large)
3 tablespoons buttermilk

Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter and flour 8x8x2-inch metal baking pan. Stir chocolate chips, brown sugar, walnuts, and cinnamon in small bowl until well blended; set streusel aside. Sift all purpose flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt into medium bowl. Using electric mixer, beat sugar, room temperature butter, and egg in large bowl until fluffy. Beat in mashed bananas and buttermilk. Add dry ingredients and blend well.

Spread half of batter (about 2 cups) in prepared baking pan. Sprinkle with half of streusel. Repeat with remaining batter and streusel. Bake coffee cake until tester inserted into center comes out clean, about 45 minutes. Cool coffee cake in pan on rack.

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