It's been that kind of morning...(Chocolate Swirl Sour Cream Coffee Cake)

Have you ever had one of those mornings. You know, the kind of morning that just doesn't start off right, an honest to goodness bad morning. And I'm not talking about the 'woke up on the wrong side of bed' bad morning. I'm talking about the kind of morning where you need a chocolate pick-me-up by 8am. Need. Chocolate. Stat.

A while back I asked my friends to share some bad (though funny) morning experiences. Here are some of my favorites:

• As you get ready to leave for work you pack a beer in your lunch instead of what you thought was a Diet Coke.

• You get your son and yourself ready to go shopping and realize you still have your snowman pajama bottoms on when you drive into the parking lot of the grocery store.

• You put an energy fizz tab into the baby bottle instead of the water bottle-but luckily realize it before feeding the baby purple milk.

• You begin to put Barbie panties on your 1 year old son while your six year old daughter holds a diaper and says, "Seriously, mom?"

So I'm thinking mornings like these must need chocolate! For all of those who incur a bad morning every once in a while, you might need to nosh on a little Chocolate Swirl Sour Cream Coffee Cake-it is irresistible, decadent and delicious. And geez, with a name like that, doesn't it already brighten your day a little?Chocolate Swirl Sour Cream Coffee Cake
Chocolatier May 2002 yields: 10 servings

Chocolate streusel filling and topping:
1/2 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1 cup pecans
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 cup miniature semisweet chocolate morsels
1/4 cup cake flour
1/4 cup cocoa powder
4 Tablespoons unsalted butter

Sour cream coffee cake:
2 1/2 cups flour
2 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
1 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 1/2 cups. sugar
3 eggs
1 egg yolk
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
1 cup sour cream, at room temperature

Confectioner's sugar for dusting

1. Make filling and topping: In food processor, pulse together sugar, pecans and cinnamon until nuts are coarsely chopped. Transfer 3/4 cup of mixture to a small bowl and stir in chocolate morsels (this is the filling). To remaining mixture in food processor add flour, cocoa powder and butter and pulse until mixture is crumbly. (this is the topping)
2. Make cake: Position rack in center of oven and preheat to 325 degrees F. Butter bottom and sides of 9" springform pan. Dust pan with flour, tapping out excess.
3. Sift flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt into medium bowl; whisk to combine and set aside.
4. In bowl of electric mixer, using paddle attachment, beat butter at medium-high speed for 1 minute, until creamy. Gradually add sugar and beat at high speed until well blended and light, about 2 minutes. Add eggs and yolk one at a time, beating well after each addition and scraping down sides of bowl as necessary. Beat in vanilla extract. Reduce speed to low and alternately add dry ingredients in 3 additions and sour cream in 2 additions, beginning and ending with dry mixture and mixing until combined.
5. Scrape half of batter into prepared pan and smooth top. Sprinkle with filling. Scrape remaining batter over filling and smooth top. Sprinkle with topping and bake for 65-75 minutes, or until toothpick inserted into center of cake comes out cleaned and cake pulls away from edges of pan. Let cake cool in pan set on wire rack for 10 minutes. Remove sides of pan and cool completely.
6. Dust cake lightly with confectioners' sugar before serving.
   

Lemon-Lime Curd

Lemon-Lime Curd and Blackberries drench over Buttermilk Poundcake

Happy Mother's Day! I love lemon (which I believe I stated before.) But this Lemon-Lime Curd is addictive. Not only is it easy to make, but it is extremely bright, summery, tart, sweet and delectable.

I have spooned it over gingerbread, drenched it over poundcake and created sunny citrus tarts using this shortbread pastry dough. Lemon-Lime Curd makes a great dip for berries as well. Or, you could just eat it straight from the jar out of the refrigerator, which I am very much guilty of!

Lemon-Lime Curd puddling down onto the plate.

Lemon-Lime Curd
• 2 lemons
• 2 limes
• 1 ½ cups sugar
• ¼ pound unsalted butter, room temperature
• 4 extra-large eggs
• ¼ cup lemon juice
• ¼ cup lime juice
• 1/8 teaspoon kosher salt

Directions
1. Zest the two lemons and one lime, being careful to avoid the white pith. Combine zest with sugar, rubbing with hands to incorporate.
2. Cream the butter and beat in the citrus sugar. Add the eggs, one at a time, and then add the lemon and lime juice and salt. Mix until combined (will look curdled).
3. Pour the mixture into a saucepan and cook over low heat until thickened, at about 170˚F, or just below a simmer. Remove from heat and cool or refrigerate.