Here is a delicious coffee cake with an old-time flavor.  Back in the day when my girls were little, we would have “play groups” among our circle of friends.  MaryEllen made this recipe and I’ve loved it ever since.  What a tasty, comfort-food treat for mid-February…or anytime!

Ingredients:

1/4 lb. butter (Cabots or Land o’ Lakes)

1 c. sugar

2 eggs (free-range from the farm, of course)

2 c. flour (King Arthur or Hecker’s)

1 teas. baking powder

1 teas. baking soda

1/4/ teas. salt

1 c. sour cream

1 teas. vanilla

1/2 c. or so of cinnamon sugar (to your taste)

 

All ingredients should be at room temperature. Grease and flour a tube pan; pre-heat the oven to 350. Cream the first three ingredients.  Sift the flour, baking soda and powder, and the salt together.  Add gradually to the creamed mixture, alternately with the sour cream and vanilla.  Spoon about a third of the batter into the tube pan.  Top with a layer of cinnamon sugar…then batter again, layer of cinnamon sugar, batter, and then cinnamon sugar on top.  Bake at 350 for 45 min. to one hour, depending on your oven. Remove from pan, cool on a wire rank, invert so that the crispy cinnamon sugar top layer faces up.  The aroma can only be beaten by the down home taste. Enjoy with a steaming cup of coffee, of course.