Chocolate-Chip Coffee Cake

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup butter, softened
• 1 cup white sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup sour cream
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) grease and flour a 9x13 inch pan.
2. In a medium bowl, stir together the flour, baking powder and soda. Set aside.
3. In a large bowl, cream the butter and 1 cup of sugar. Add eggs, sour cream and vanilla. Mix well.
4. Add the flour mixture and combine. Batter will be thick.
5. In a separate bowl, combine chocolate chips, 1/2 cup sugar and cinnamon. Set aside.
6. Spread half of the cake batter in prepared 9x13 inch pan. Sprinkle half of the chocolate chip mixture over the batter. Repeat with the remaining batter, and then the remaining chocolate chip mixture.
7. Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean.

Caramel Apple Cake

I got this recipe from my friend Danita Berg.

1/2 cup butter
2 cups sugar
2 eggs
2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
4 apples pealed and cut into chunks
3 cups flour
1cup of pecan pieces (optional)

Cream together the butter and sugar. Add the eggs and mix well. Add dry ingrediants and apples and mix until just blended. Pour into a greased pan.

(I made this last night and my cake batter wasn't much of a batter, but more crumbs. So, I added a splash of vanilla and about 1/2-3/4 cup of milk to make it a batter.)

Bake at 350 degrees for 40-50 minutes. Cool completely and top with warm caramel.

Caramel Sauce
1/4 cup butter
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 heavy whipping cream
1 tsp vanilla
pinch of salt

Bring all ingrediants to a boil in a saucepan. Boil 6-7 minutes. Remove from heat and cool about 5 minutes. Pour over cooled cake.