Chocolate Coffee Cake

Wedding Cake Murder

## Ingredients

**The Cake Batter**

* 1 cup salted butter, softened ***(2 sticks, 8 ounces, 1/2 pound)***
* 1 and 3/4 cups white ***(granulated)*** sugar
* 1 teaspoon salt
* 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
* 1 and 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
* 6 eggs
* 3 cups flour ***(pack it down in the cup when you measure it)***

**The Filling**

* 2 cups semi-sweet ***(that's the regular kind)*** chocolate chips ***(I used a 12-ounce by weight bag of Nestle)***
* 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
* 1 ounce ***(1/4 stick)*** salted butter
* 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
* 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg ***(freshly grated is best)***

**The Crumb Topping**

* 1/2 cup brown sugar ***(tightly packed)***
* 1/3 cup all-purpose flour ***(pack it down in the cup when you measure it)***
* 1/4 cup salted butter, softened ***(1/2 stick, 2 ounces, 1/8 pound)***

## Directions

* Spray the inside of a 9-inch by 13-inch rectangular cake pan with Pam or another nonstick cooking spray. You can also use nonstick baking spray, the kind with flour in it, if you prefer. If you don't have nonstick baking or cooking spray, you can grease the inside of the cake pan with butter and then flour it, but don't forget to knock out the excess flour.

**Hannah's 1st Note: When I make this at home, I use my stand mixer for the cake batter. You can also do it by hand, but it takes some muscle.**

* Mix the cup of softened, salted butter with the white sugar until it's thoroughly blended and is nice and fluffy.
* Add the salt, vanilla extract, and baking powder. Mix them in until they're thoroughly incorporated.
* Add the eggs one by one, mixing after each addition.

**Hannah's 2nd Note: If you add the eggs all at once, it's very difficult to mix them in. If you add them one at a time and mix in each egg after you add it, it's much easier.**

* Add the flour in one-cup increments, mixing thoroughly after each addition.

**Hannah's 3rd Note: DO NOT add the flour all at once and then try to mix it in. I did that once and had flour all over my kitchen floor. *(And then Moishe came in for a drink of water and tracked flour all over my condo. This is when I learned that most cats don't like to have their feet washed!)***

* Spoon half of the batter in the cake pan and spread it out with a rubber spatula. Leave the rest of the batter in the bowl for later. ***(You don't have to measure out exactly half of the dough. Just eyeball it. No one's ever going to complain if you're off by a quarter-cup or so.)***
* Once half of the cake batter is in the pan, it's time to make the filling. Use another bowl for this.
* Put half of a 12-ounce ***(net weight)*** bag of semi-sweet chocolate chips in a microwave-safe bowl. ***I usually use a 2-cup Pyrex measuring cup.)***
* Add the ounce of salted butter and the 2 teaspoons of vanilla extract. Heat in the microwave on HIGH for 30 seconds. Let the mixture sit in the microwave for 1 minute, and then take it out and try to stir it smooth. If you can do this, you're done heating the chocolate mixture. If you can't do this, heat the chocolate mixture in 2-second intervals with one-minute standing times, until you can stir it smooth.
* Set the chocolate mixture on the counter. Stir in the cinnamon and the nutmeg until they're well-incorporated.
* Drizzle the chocolate mixture over the batter in the cake pan.
* Sprinkle the rest of the chocolate chips ***(approximately one cup)*** over the batter as evenly as you can.

**Hannah's 4th Note: There is a reason why you don't melt ALL the chips in the bag. It has to do with texture. The whole chips will soften during baking and the melted chips are almost like a chocolate sauce. This means that after your Chocolate Coffee Cake is baked, you'll have something that resembles chocolate sauce enhanced with cinnamon and nutmeg in the center with little soft nuggets of pure chocolate in each serving. It's just yummy!**

* Give the remaining cake batter another stir and then drop spoonfuls on top of the chocolate. Spread the batter out carefully with the rubber spatula.

**Hannah's 5th Note: Don't worry if the cake batter doesn't cover the chocolate completely--the batter on top will fill in as it bakes and the crumb topping that you will make next will cover the rest.**

* To make the crumb topping, mix the brown sugar and the flour in a small bowl. ***(I generally use a fork to do this.)***
* Add the softened butter and mix until it's crumbly. ***(You can also do this in a food processor with chilled butter and the steel blade.)***
* Sprinkle the crumb topping over the pan as evenly as possible.
* Bake your Chocolate Coffee Cake at 350°F for 45 to 60 minutes. To test for doneness, use a cake tester, a thin wooden skewer, or a long toothpick. Insert it one inch from the center of the pan and pull it out again. If it has chocolate on it, that's perfectly okay, but if it also has sticky unbaked dough clinging to it, your cake needs to bake at least another 5 or perhaps 10 minutes.
* When your cake is done, remove it from the oven and let it cool in the pan on a wire rack.

**Michelle's Note: I like this coffee cake slightly warm and I've discovered that if you cut it in square servings, you can reheat it in the microwave and it tastes like fresh-baked. It's really great for breakfast with a cup of strong hot coffee.**