Chocolate Chip Coffee Cake

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I’m writing this while sitting in a Starbucks with a view of the gorgeous Heavenly mountain in South Lake Tahoe. Spring hasn’t arrived at Lake Tahoe just yet, there is still plenty of snow and it is going to snow again tomorrow! What is the reason for this little getaway you ask? Well, guess what?! It’s official – I have my PharmD! Yesterday was my last day of my final rotation in pharmacy school, and walking out of the office was such a great feeling. Some people say I will miss being a student, and that I have my whole life to work…but to be honest, if you are in school that long, you don’t really miss being in debt, having no money all the time, and ~~working for free~~ paying to work crazy hours, and having papers/presentations due or tests coming up all of the time. AND I am so excited to finally be a pharmacist, because I love the job so much…I know, I am such a science nerd.

I thought about what I should make as a celebratory treat for myself, and I almost went with something chocolate, but in the end I thought a sour cream coffee cake would be more appropriate for the occasion. Coffee cake, along with a large cup of coffee, got me through many hard times during the past 8 years of college, and yesterday was the last day I could use school as an excuse for my coffee addiction! To compromise with my chocolate cravings, I added in some mini chocolate chips. I love that this coffee cake is buttery and moist in the center, but surrounded by a firm, crunchy crust that incorporates a pecan streusal. Careful not to make it too sugary, though, since the streusal is mainly brown sugar! Do you think my coffee addiction will really end now that school is over? Hmmmmmmm…

One long chapter in my life has ended, but a new is starting with beginning a career where I will get to help people everyday. But first, I need some R&R, and some skiing time in one of the most beautiful places to be…

XO,

Dr. KH

Chocolate Chip Coffee Cake

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Prep time

15 mins

Cook time

45 mins

Total

1 hour

Type: Dessert

Serves: 8

Ingredients

7 tbsp unsalted butter, softened
¾ cup granulated sugar
2 eggs
1 cup light sour cream
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
¼ tsp salt
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Topping

½ cup chopped pecans
3 tbsp granulated sugar
⅓ cup packed brown sugar
2 tbsp cinnamon

Glaze (optional)

½ tsp butter, melted
1 tsp milk
¾ cup confectioners’ sugar

Instructions

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.
Use cooking spray to grease a bundt cake pan (you can also use a 13×9-inch cake pan, but baking time may vary – see below).
In a small bowl, combine the topping ingredients (pecans, cinnamon and sugars).
Sprinkle half of the topping mixture into the greased bundt pan, shaking it so the sugar coats all around (the pecans will most likely not stick, depending on how finely you chopped them – that’s ok!). *Notes on the streusal: Be mindful of how much of the streusal you use to coat the pan; the cake can quickly become too sugary! Also, I prefer not to reserve some for topping AFTER baking, but if you wish to do this instead/in addition, you may need to make more topping
Add flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt to a bowl and blend together with a fork.
Add butter and sugar to a stand mixer, and cream together on medium speed using a paddle attachment.
Add the eggs, vanilla and sour cream while mixing.
Add the flour mixture a little at a time while beating on low speed until everything is well blended.
Transfer half of the batter to the bundt pan, then top with the chocolate chips (reserving a few for topping after baking) and the remaining streusal mixture evenly over the top of the batter.
Drop spoonfuls of the remaining batter evenly around the top of the chocolate chips/streusal, and carefully spread until fully covered.
Bake for 45 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean (if you use a 13×9-inch pan, baking time may be shorter – check earlier with a toothpick!).
Remove from the oven and cool for 10 minutes.
Use a butterknife to carefully remove the cake from the sides of the pan, and flip over onto a wire cooling rack.
Place the rack on top of a piece of parchment paper, then top with chocolate chips.
Once cooled, mix the glaze ingredients and drizzle over the cake (an easy way to do this is by using a small sandwich bag with a tiny hole cut in the corner).

Makes 1 cake (8 slices)

3.2.2310

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SWEET CINNAMON-RAISIN QUICK BREAD

I’m not sure if I’m the only one on this, but my daughter can eat three loaves of raisin bread in three days, no problem. It was getting expensive so I found this recipe for Raisin Bread in a family cookbook and it is delicious. I hope you enjoy it as much as we have.

SWEET CINNAMON – RAISIN BREAD

INGREDIENTS

4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup sugar
2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. salt
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
1 1/2 cups buttermilk
1/3 cup unsalted butter, melted
1 cup raisins

Preheat your oven to 350 F. Coat a 9″ round cake pan with cooking spray and set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and salt. Set aside.

In a medium mixing bowl, whisk the eggs. Add the buttermilk, vanilla and melted butter. Stir together until completely combined.

Add egg mixture to the dry ingredients. Add raisins. Using a rubber spatula, combine all the ingredients until it is just moistened. (Dough will be sticky)

Sprinkle a counter top or surface with flour. Turn dough out onto surface. Knead several times and form into a ball.

Place the dough into the greased cake pan and cut an “X” in the middle of the dough. Place into the oven for 1 hour 15 minutes.

Cool in pan for 10 minutes and then place on cooling rack. Place a cookie sheet under the cooling rack and coat the warm bread with Vanilla Glaze (optional).

VANILLA GLAZE

1 cup powdered sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
1 tbsp. melted butter
2 tbsp. milk

Combine all together with a whisk.

Slice up and enjoy!!

Sweet Potato and Sausage Quesadillas

A simple sausage and sweet potato hash makes a uniquely delicious filling for these quesadillas. Serve them with plenty of salsa, sour cream, and guacamole and get the party started!

So, how long does this March Madness thing last? This was the first time that I’ve paid even remote attention – both my undergraduate and grad school actually made it in – but I’m kind of over it now. Neither of them made it past the first round*, and it’s not like I was the biggest fan anyway. I went to at least a few games each season at UAlbany but during grad school I was too busy sitting in on tapings of Crossfire to care about things like basketball.

Anyway this year both teams made it in, so I at least tried to pay attention. But let’s face it: I was really only in it for the food. Watching sports means appetizers, finger foods and other “snacky” things are perfectly appropriate for dinner. And those are my favorite kind of dinners. It’s kind of amazing I don’t fein interest more often.

(Shawn says I should say that Albany won it’s “first four” game. I don’t even know what that means. It wasn’t on my bracket, so if you ask me, it doesn’t count.)

I saw sweet potato quesadilla in the prepared foods section of the grocery store last weekend and instantly fell in love with the idea. At first, I was just going to mix mashed sweet potato with cheese to use as the filling but I was worried that the texture might be too soft and boring. Instead, I ended up making a quick hash with diced potato, crumbled sausage, and red onion. It worked perfectly, and the quesadillas were definitely more exciting than the game that was on.

I used Jones Dairy Farm’s all natural pork sausage roll – it’s one of my favorite sausages to use in recipes. It crumbles easily, since it’s uncooked and doesn’t have a casing and the mild flavor goes well with other ingredients. The only downside is that it comes frozen, so you do have to plan ahead a little bit in order to give it time to thaw.

Sweet Potato and Sausage Quesadillas

Author: Lauren Keating

Serves: 4

Ingredients

1 roll (12 ounces) Jones Dairy Farm pork sausage (uncooked)
1 medium sweet potato, cut into a ¼” dice (about 1.5 cups)
½ cup finely diced red onion
1 small jalapeño pepper, minced
8 ounces beer or vegetable broth
1 tablespoon chili powder
3 scallions, sliced
4 10″ flour tortillas
1 cup shredded Mexican blend cheese
1 sliced jalapeño (optional)
Salsa, Sour Cream, and Guacamole, for serving

Preparation

Crumble the sausage into a large skillet set over medium-high heat. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 8-10 minutes, or until browned and cooked through. Transfer the sausage to a plate and discard any grease that has accumulated in the bottom of the pan.
Return the pan to the stove and add the onion; cook 1 minute. Add the sweet potato and mined jalapeño; cook 3 minutes. Pour in the beer. Bring to a simmer and cook 10 minutes, or until the sweet potato is soft and the liquid has evaporated. Stir in the coked sausage, chili powder, and scallions.
Place a tortilla on a flat work surface. Scatter ⅛ of the cheese over half the tortilla. Spread ¾-cup of the sausage filling over the cheese. Add a few jalapeño slices, if desired. Top with more cheese. Fold the tortilla in half. Repeat with remaining tortillas to make 4 quesadillas.
Heat 1 tablespoon of oil on a griddle (or in a large pan) set over medium-high heat. Cook the quesadillas one at a time, for 1-2 minutes per side, or until the tortilla is golden brown and the cheese is melted.
Cut each quesadilla into 4 wedges. Serve with salsa, sour cream, and guacamole for dipping.

Nutrition Information

Calories: 395 Fat: 15.2 Carbohydrates: 48.1 Fiber: 4.1 Protein: 14.3

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I created this recipe for Jones Dairy Farm. Thank you for supporting the brands that keep me inspired in the kitchen.

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