Raspberry Chocolate Coffee Cake

.  Spring has sprung!

Or I guess you can call it Summer at this point.

But regardless, the heat has arrived and I won't ever complain about the humidity [very much...].  I mean, it took April snow storms for this weather to get here.  So I'll just shut up and be happy about it!

So to kick off my summer baking [yay!], I picked out a real doozy.  Whatever a doozy is.  But I picked it.  And you'll want to get your chompers on this one.  I.  Promise.

I made this luscious Raspberry Chocolate Coffee Cake last weekend for Robbie's mom for Mother's Day.  His family lives in Omaha, so we're able to see them much more often than my own family.  And they also get the honor of testing out any of my baked goodies I force pass on their way.  Don't know if that's a good or bad thing though...

Anywho, Robbie and I picked out a lovely floral display for his mom and I made this breakfast treat for he and his family to enjoy on Mother's Day.  We don't want her making her own breakfast Mother's Day morning, right?!  I didn't get a chance to taste my creation but word on the street is that it was spot on.  And let's be real...my pictures don't do this sucker justice {cough, I need a real camera, cough], so you can only imagine the [subtle] decadence this recipe produces.  Layers and layers of summery, chocolatey goodness, to be exact.

So here's the gist of it.  Three layers of soft, uber moist, classic vanilla coffee cake.  Three layers of chocolate streusel.  And three layers of plump, tart, fresh raspberries.  Hmm...that's a no brainer.

Gather those ingredients and get bakin'!  

P.S. I do want to fill you in on the Mother's Day present my family got for our beloved mamacita because I'm oh-so-excited about it!  So you may have read that Robbie and I finally made the big jump and got engaged, which obviously leads to a wedding.  And lots of wedding planning.  

So first things first, Robbie and I decided that we'll be getting married in Arizona where his parents have a house in Desert Mountain.  There's a beautiful clubhouse there that I'm beyond excited about, so for Memorial Day weekend Robbie, Robbie's parents, and I are trekking down South to meet with the venue coordinator and a couple of different wedding planners.  Well of course I want my parents involved in this whole process more than anything, but we all have a lot going on in our lives at the moment so we initially thought they wouldn't be able to make the trip.  But after some discussions with my loving dad, we decided to surprise my mom with a plane ticket to AZ to take part in all of this crazy planning!  So for Mother's Day, that's what my mom got.  Which was followed by lots of happy tears and laughter.  So needless to say, I can't even wait for the next two weeks to go by and to spend some quality time with my best friend during such a special time.

So wish us luck!  And if any one knows of any wedding planners they'd recommend, suggestions are SO welcomed!  .

P.S.S. check out our wedding website at The Knot, I updated the About Us section so you can read a little about how Robbie and I first met!  .

My Notes:

• Don't be intimidated by the layering, it's very simple and you can't really mess it up!  
• I chose to use milk chocolate for my topping but for pure eye appeal I'd probably use semisweet chocolate next time.  The darker chocolate would look so pretty against the light cake!

Adapted from Cooking Melangery

Ingredients:

Vanilla Coffee Cake:

3 c. all purpose flour

2 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. salt

3/4 c. unsalted butter, at room temperature

1-1/4 c. sugar

3 large eggs, at room temperature

1 tsp. vanilla extract

2 c. sour cream

1 c. semisweet or milk chocolate, melted

Raspberry Chocolate Filling:

1/4 c. sugar

1/4 c. packed light brown sugar

1 tbsp. unsweetened cocoa powder

2 c. fresh or frozen raspberries

Directions:

1. Heat oven to 350°F.  Butter or spray with nonstick cooking spray a 9- or 10-inch bundt pan.  
2. For cake, combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl; set aside.
3. In a large bowl, cream together butter and sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy (about 3 minutes).  Add eggs, one at a time, until completely combined.  Add vanilla extract and beat until combined.
4. On low speed, in alternating additions of 3 each, add in dry ingredients and sour cream just until blended (do not over mix the batter).
5. For the filling, combine the sugar, light brown sugar, and cocoa powder.  Scoop 1-1/2 cups of batter into prepared pan and spread evenly to cover bottom.  Sprinkle 1/3 of the cocoa mixture over the batter and 1/2 cup of raspberries.  Scoop 2 cups of batter over filling to cover and repeat steps with the 1/3 of the filling and 1/2 cup of raspberries.  Repeat one last time with the remaining ingredients to make 3 layers.  Bake 50 to 60 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.  Let cake cool for 30 minutes before unmolding.
6. In a microwave safe bowl, melt the chocolate and pour over the bundt cake.  Use the remaining 1/2 cup of raspberries to decorate the top of the cake.  

Yield: 10 servings