Sour Cream Coffee Cake with Mini Chocolate Chips, My Recipe

Sylvia, the 90 year-old lady who kindly gives me a ride to the grocery store every week and who has a flower garden and cat both of which I very much admire, told me that she’s very fond of my coffee cakes, by which she means my coffee cakes, quick breads, muffins and hyped-up versions of baking powder biscuits.

She also told me during our Thursday grocery run that she’s only got two small brownies left in the “juliyya baked this” cupboard, so I decided this morning to make a quick coffee cake and take an hour’s break later on today to walk a few slices over to her. (At the moment, she’s out garage-sailing with another friend. It’s yard sale season.)

I had about half a cup of sour cream needing use, so the decision was made for me this morning for one of my favorites, specifically changing the normal coffee cake recipe to account for sour cream as half of the liquid and adding 1/2 cup mini chocolate chips.

With the cinnamon streusel, it could be called Chocolate Chip Cinnamon Sour Cream Coffee Cake since the flavors of cinnamon and chocolate meld in this cake. No matter what I call it, Sylvia will call it “yummers.” I call it accompaniment to Formula 1 race.

Recipe: grease and flour parchment in 8″x8″ square pan. Preheat oven to 350 Fahrenheit. No mixer needed, just two bowls, a whisk and wooden spoon, the same as my other “coffee cakes.”

Make the crumble/streusel first (this recipe is for a full batch of crumble. Use half. Freeze half. If the reader wants to make half a batch, welcome to the fractions.): Mix with fork 3/4 c. flour, 3/4 c. brown sugar, 1/4 c. soft butter, 2 teaspoons cinnamon, 1/8 teaspoon salt.

Large bowl for the dry ingredients: 1 1/2 c. all purpose flour, 1/2 c. granulated sugar, 2 teaspoons baking powder, 1/2 teaspoon salt. Whisk, then add 1/2 c. mini chocolate chips.

Smaller bowl for the wet ingredients: 1 egg, 1/4 c. vegetable oil, 1/2 cup sour cream, 1/2 cup milk, 1 teaspoon vanilla. Whisk very well.

Add the wet ingredients to the dry, stirring only until everything is moistened. Pour into the prepared baking pan and sprinkle 1/2 of the crumble/streusel on the top. Bake approximately 30-37 minutes. Test center with toothpick to ensure it’s done.