Coffee Cake

Every time I drink coffee in the morning, I feel like I need something to go along with it. That something is usually coffee cake. This coffee cake doesn't have a streusel topping, but don't let that stop you for making it! It's layered with cocoa powder, cinnamon, brown sugar, and walnuts!

Two cups of sour cream might seem like a lot, but it makes the cake very moist and gives that perfect tang. You can also add raisins to your nut fillings or substitute the walnuts for pecans if you would like!

It is very important that your butter, eggs, and sour cream are all at room temperature for this recipe and that you aren't over mixing your batter after adding the flour.

This cake is best made in a bundt pan, so you can layer the nut filling 3 times!

INGREDIENTS

NUT FILLING

• 3/4 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon cinnamon
• 1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa
• 1 cup walnuts, finely chopped

CAKE BATTER

• 3 cups sifted all purpose flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 sticks butter, at room temperature
• 3 teaspoon vanilla extract (1 teaspoon for icing)
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 3 eggs, at room temperature
• 2 cups sour cream, at room temperature
• 2 cups confectioners sugar for icing
• 3 tablespoons milk for icing

DIRECTIONS

1. In a small bowl, mix together all ingredients for nut filling and set aside
2. preheat oven for 350 degrees F and butter your bundt pan
3. In a large bowl, sift flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt
4. Using a paddle attachment, cream the butter, vanilla, and sugar on medium speed in your stand mixer for 3 minutes
5. Add eggs, one at a time, beating each until just incorporated. Beat at high speed for about 2 minutes
6. Turn mixer on low speed and add dry ingredients in three additions and sour cream in two additions, ending with the dry ingredients. Beat until just incorporated
7. Spread a thin layer of batter in the bottom of the bundt pan and top with 1/3 of nut mixture. Repeat until you have 4 layers of batter into the pan, with the top layer being the batter.
8. Bake for 60 minutes or until cake tester inserted in center of cake comes clean 
9. Invert the bundt pan and let the cake cool on a rack
10. While cake is cooling, combine confectioners sugar, milk, and 1 teaspoon of vanilla. Drizzle icing all over cake!