Sour Cream Coffee Cake

The first time my mom made this cake, I thought Ew.

Sour cream? In a cake?! I should mention I was probably 10 and had yet to recognize the amazing things sour cream can do for a cake. Or a taco.

Plus, there were nuts. Like, double ew. But then I had a slice. And I was in heaven. The cake is so delicious and fluffy. There was a crunchy cinnamon-sugar crust on the bottom AND the top, PLUS a delicious chocolatey ribbon running through the middle. I barely had time to notice the nuts before I was reaching for a second slice. Since then, it has become the pre-eminent coffee cake at our house and was a shoe-in for dessert for Yom Kippur. (Sorry about the pictures in the next few posts. My camera is out of commission so I'm left with my iPhone, plus, I was shooting pictures in the middle of a dinner party. Not ideal.)

The recipe also comes from one of my favorite cookbooks: Lessons in Gourmet Cooking by Libby Hillman. Some people had Joy, we had Libby, Copyright 1963. The original copy we had completely fell apart so I had to hunt down a second copy on Ebay many years ago. When it arrived it had that great old musty book smell, but even it's starting to lose its pages now. Not only are the recipes classic and dependable every time, but look at the illustrations!

 Cake Failure and their Causes

Various kinds of Pans used in Recipes

How to Bone Chicken

The perfect Cesar salad dressing comes from this book, as does the crepe recipe my mom has been using on Saturday mornings since I was born. That's right, no pancakes for us. Pass the crepes. One day I think I might have to kidnap it from my mom and really read through it, cover to cover, to find those other hidden gems.

Sour Cream Coffee Cake
Yield: Serves 12

Ingredients:
2 Tbsp granulated sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 cup chopped walnuts
4 oz chopped semi-sweet chocolate
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp kosher salt
1 stick unsalted butter
1 cup granulated sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup sour cream

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350. Grease and flour a bundt cake pan.
2. Combine the 2 Tbsp of sugar and cinnamon. Add the nuts and chocolate and toss to combine. Set aside.
2. In a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together. Set aside.
3. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter. Add sugar gradually and beat until mixture is blended, 2-3 minutes.
4. Add eggs one at a time with vanilla extract. With the mixer on low, add dry ingredients and sour cream alternately, beginning and ending with flour.
5. In the bottom of the cake pan, sprinkle a third of the chocolate and nut mixture. Pour in half the batter and smooth. Sprinkle half the remaining chocolate and nuts over the batter. Pour remaining batter into pan. Smooth out evenly and add remaining chocolate and nuts.
6. Bake at 350 for 45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool and invert the pan to remove the cake. Slice and serve.


Recipe from Libby Hillman's Lessons in Gourmet Cooking

Yom Kippur

This past weekend I traveled to Virginia Beach for the day to "celebrate" Yom Kippur with my mom.

I use the term "celebrate" loosely because Yom Kippur consists of fasting for 24 hours. Sounds fun, right? Believe me, it is. No eating, no drinking, no working, and lots of quality family time.

But just when you're blind from hunger, delirious from thirst, and about to murder your entire family just because they dare to ask you some completely innocent question, Break Fast arrives.

Just as the name suggests, the Break Fast traditionally consists of breakfast items, on the lighter side so as not to cause your stomach to explode when you can finally gorge yourself again. This year, my mom decided to host Break Fast at her house. Here's what was on the menu:

Bagels with 3 different types of cream cheese
Salmon three ways: Smoked, Baked, and Pastrami
Cheese Quiche
Spinach Quiche
Challah Bread
Cheese and Crackers
Noodle Kugel
Fruit Salad
Tuna Salad
Croissant Bread Pudding
Sour Cream Coffee Cake
Rugelach

Recipes coming soon!

Easy Pumpkin Soup

Did we all make the showstopping Pumpkin Roulade cake? Yes? Then we all have about half a can of pumpkin puree left over. Hopefully you put it in the fridge in a little tupperware container.

Now, you're going to be super annoyed because this was one of those times I just kept adding a little of this and a little of that, tasting as I went. So my ingredient amounts are sort of approximate. But here's my advice! Taste as you go! Start with a little of everything and give it a taste. I prefer my soup a little on the savory side so my measurements are skewed that way. Does yours taste too sweet? Add more savory spices- salt, garlic and onion powder, another dash of cayenne. Too spicy? Add some more liquid, OJ or chicken stock. Same goes for if you think it's too thick. Want it to taste more like pumpkin pie in a bowl? Add a little sugar, or even brown sugar along with some of the sweet spices- cinnamon, nutmeg, etc.

I didn't strain mine (because I'm lazy) but you can if you want a super smooth texture.

Easy Pumpkin Soup
Yield: 2-3 servings

Ingredients:
Olive oil
1/4 cup onion, diced
1/4 cup apple, diced
1/4 cup carrot, diced
1/2 cup pumpkin puree (about 3/4 cup)
1/4 cup orange juice
3/4-1 cup chicken stock
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1/4 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp onion powder
3/4 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp freshly ground pepper
2 Tbsp cream (optional)

Optional garnishes: sour cream or creme fraiche; chives/green onion; orange zest

Directions:
1. Place a medium pot over medium high heat. Add enough olive oil to just coat the bottom. Add the onion, apple, and carrots. Cook, stirring occasionally, until tender. Add a pinch of salt and pepper.
2. Add the pumpkin puree, orange juice, and chicken stock and reduce heat to medium. Bring to a simmer.
3. Add spices. Blend the soup with an immersion/stick blender, or transfer it to a blender or food processor. When smooth, strain soup through a fine mesh strainer (optional) and return to the pot. If necessary, add more liquid to achieve desired texture. Taste and adjust seasonings.
4. Add cream (if using). Serve soup warm with optional garnishes or by itself with some crusty bread.