Cocoa Swirl Coffee Cake

One 9-inch Bundt Cake

Serve thick slices in the morning bread basket, offer thin slices with hot tea, or use slightly stale slices in French Toast.

2 1/2 cups unsifted all purpose flour

2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened at room temperature

1 1/2 cups granulated sugar

3 extra-large eggs, at room temperature

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1 cup sour cream

Confectioners sugar for dusting

COCOA SWIRL MIXTURE

1/4 cup granulated sugar

3 Tablespoons unsifted unsweetened cocoa powder

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1. Lightly butter and flour a plain 9-inch bundt pan. Do not use sprays as the crust will taste better with the butter/flour mixture. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.

2. Sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cinnamon onto a large sheet of waxed paper; set aside.

3. Cream the butter in the large bowl of and electric mixer on moderately high speed for 2 minutes. Add the sugar in 2 addictions, beating thoroughly after each portion is added. Beat for 1 minute on high speed, blend in the eggs, one at a time. Beat in the vanilla. Scrape down the sides of the mixing bowl and beat the mixture for about 30 seconds longer. With the mixer on low speed, alternately add the sifted dry ingredients in 3 additions and the sour cream in 2 additions, beginning and ending with the dry mixture. Scrape down the sides of the mixing bowl frequently with a rubber spatula to keep the batter even-textured.

4. For the cocoa swirl, combine the sugar, cocoa and cinnamon in a small bowl.

5. Pour and scrape half the batter into the prepared baking pan. Sprinkle the cocoa swirl mixture evenly over the batter. Pour the rest of the batter on top.

6. Bake the cake on the lower-third-level rack of the preheated over for about 50 minutes to 1 hour, or until a wooden pick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean and dry and the cake pulls away slightly from the edges of the pan.

7. Let cool in the pan on a wire rack for 4-5 minutes. Invert onto a second cooling rack, then invert again to cool right side up. Dust the top of the cake with a little sifted confectioners sugar, if you like.

8. Serve the cake cut in medium thick slices.

From Country Cakes: A Home-style Treasury by Lisa Yockelson