Aunt Patty's Old-Fashioned Coffee Cake

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Yield:
1 10-inch cake

This old-fashioned recipe combines a sour cream batter with a filling of sugar, instant coffee, and cocoa powder. To marbleize the cake, run a thin knife through the batter in several spots, creating swirls as you work. The cake goes best with -- what else? -- hot coffee with milk and sugar.

Ingredients

For the Filling

  • 3 tablespoons sugar

  • 4 ½ teaspoons instant coffee granules

  • 4 ½ teaspoons unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder

For the Batter

  • ½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened, plus more for pan

  • 2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for pan

  • 1 teaspoon baking powder

  • 1 teaspoon baking soda

  • 1 teaspoon salt

  • 1 cup sugar

  • 2 large eggs, room temperature

  • 1 cup sour cream, room temperature

  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Make the filling: Stir together sugar, coffee, and cocoa powder in a small bowl; set aside.

  2. Butter a 10-inch (12-cup) Bundt pan. Dust with flour, and tap out excess. Make the batter: Whisk flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl. Put butter and sugar into the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix on medium-high speed until pale and fluffy, 3 to 4 minutes. Reduce speed to medium. Mix in eggs, one at a time. Mix in flour mixture in 3 batches, alternating with sour cream. Add vanilla, and mix 1 minute.

  3. Spread 1/3 of the batter into prepared pan. Sprinkle with half the filling. Spread another third of the batter on top, followed by the remaining filling. Spread remaining batter over top. Run a thin knife through batter to marbleize.

  4. Bake until a cake tester inserted into center comes out clean, 35 to 38 minutes. Let cool 30 minutes. Invert onto a plate.

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