Monday, October 18, 2010

Treat of the Week: Praline Chocolate Chip Coffee Cake

Sometimes there’s nothing quite as satisfying as a nice piece of coffee cake. With just the right amount of sweetness and the perfect texture, coffee cake is a great alternative to heavier, frosted pastries. If you’re a fan of pralines, you’ll really like this.

This light, fluffy coffee cake is topped by a thick crust of brown sugar, nuts and chocolate chips. The result of a carefully-timed tanning session under the broiler, the praline topping is bursting with a rich caramel flavor—accented by the creaminess of chocolate chips. The secret, according to my mother, is to put the chocolate chips on the cake at the last minute so that they retain their structure, but become soft as they absorb the sugars around them.

This blending of textures makes for an exciting piece of cake! Served with stiffly whipped cream, this is a treat to enjoy with a cup of coffee or tea and makes a wonderful after-dinner bit of sweetness or, even, a perfect breakfast pick-me-up. How could a day be bad when you start it with a gorgeous, big hunk of cake?

2 comments:

Fran said...

Who needs coffee? Just fill my cup with this cake. Beautiful!

Joseph Crisalli said...

I rather like the idea of a cup filled with cake, Fran. Put a cupcake on top and give me a spoon. I'd be a happy boy.