Chocolate Chip Coffee Cake

This is one of those MUST HAVE recipes. This cake is moist, fluffy and just perfect. It's the kind of a cake that people ask for again and again. AND...you will have all the ingredients at home all the time, with one possible exception...8 ounces of cream cheese. But is that so hard to remember to buy?

Chocolate Chip Coffee Cake

Ingredients:

For the cake:

1 stick unsalted butter, at room temp

8 ounces cream cheese, room temp

1 1/4 cups sugar

2 eggs

1 tsp vanilla

2 cups flour

1 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1/4 tsp. salt

1/4 cup cold milk (any level of fat is ok)

6 ounces semi sweet chocolate chips (mini is best)

For the topping:

1/4 cup sugar

1 tsp. cinnamon

1/4 cup chopped pecans

Add topping ingredients to the blender. Mix and set aside.

Directions:

-Preheat oven to 350 degress

-Grease 9x13 springform pan OR tube pan (AKA Angel food pan). I use the tube pan so it always cooks all the way through. Springform sometimes leaves center uncooked.

-In large bowl of Kitchenaid, mix butter, cream cheese and sugar.

-Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition

-Add vanilla, flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Mix well.

-Stir in cold milk and chocolate chips, by hand. Mixture will be very thick.

-Pour into pan, sprinkle with topping and sprinkle with a handful of chocolate chips.

-Bake 50-55 minutes. Allow to cool a little before you take it out of the pan. 

Recipe cred goes to my mom's friend, Allison.