Marble Coffee Cake

Batter

1/2 stick (1/4 cup) of unsalted butter

1 cup of sugar

2 large eggs

1 1/2 cups of sour cream

2 tsp. vanilla extract

2 cups of all-purpose flour

2 tsp. salt

1 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. ground cinnamon

Filling

3/4 cup of packed brown sugar

3/4 cup of semisweet chocolate chips

3 tbsp. cocoa powder

1 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon

1/2 tsp. ground allspice

Topping

1 tbsp. cocoa powder

2-3 tbsp. confectioner's sugar

1. Batter: beat the butter in a stand mixer on high until fluffy. Add sugar and beat together until smooth. Beat in eggs one by one. Add sour cream and vanilla and mix. Whisk together dry ingredients in a separate bowl and fold them into the wet ingredients. Do not overmix!

2. Filling: add all above ingredients in a separate bowl.

3. Marbling: add a third of the batter to the bottom of a greased bundt pan. Top with filling. Had half of what's left over top. Top with filling. Add the last of the batter and top with filling.

4. Bake the bundt for 50-55 minutes at 350*F. Let it cool in the pan for 10 minutes before unmolding. Let it cool for another 30 minutes.

5. Dust topping over top and enjoy!

This coffee cake was amazing. It was the perfect amount of sweet and the bundt pan gave it delicious crispy edges. Marbling the filling within the cake made every slice unique. Even though this recipe is found in the breakfast section of the cookbook, it would make the perfect dessert with a cup of coffee.

I have decided that 2022 will be the year I do things for the sake of doing them. One of my biggest pet peeves is wasting time. I am a planner. I like things to go the way that I plan them. I have a job with the Federal Government because it would prepare me for the real world. I am pursuing my education so that I can earn my degree. I curl competitively to win. Everything I do has a clear goal and I break it down into smaller steps so that I can achieve that goal. 2022 is the year that I do things for the sake of doing them. I saw a video a few weeks ago that simply said "You don't have to be good at something to do it. You can do something simply because you enjoy doing it." I was shocked at how much that resonated with me.

I find joy in most things that I accomplish, but if I do not excel at something right away I find it hard to continue doing it because it feels like a waste of time. I've realized that deeming something a "waste of time" is completely within my control. During these uncertain times, I found peace in smaller projects that I can stop and start whenever and however I please. An incomplete project is not a failure. Finding joy in the process is what makes it a success. You don't have to earn a degree or win a competition to be successful.

I've wanted to start a project like this for a long time and I always assumed that I would get to it eventually. Eventually is now. Read a chapter of a book and put it down. Continue working on the paint-by-numbers, even if you coloured outside of the lines. Learn to skate, even if it looks like you're walking. Bake a coffee cake and for goodness sake EAT IT TOO.

More yums to come! xo