A Break in the Action: FRESH APPLE SOUR CREAM COFFEE CAKE

There are times when I have to scrap all obligations and clear my head. Between being a wife, mom (to 2 adorable kids ;), school volunteer, laundress, professional shopper, master calendar keeper, "sewing machine" & part-time insomniac, I find there's one thing that refocuses me when my brain gets overloaded...baking. Actually it's baking something new, something different & something loaded with chocolate. The problem is I've given up chocolate until August...WHAT???...ummmm, yes...WHY???...ummmm, I like a challenge.?.

So, my brain was in the frying pan this week. That whole "Just Say "No!"" campaign should be remarketed to moms. Too many commitments, errands, jobs & insomnia plagued my cranial gears from firing off in the right sequence, and I knew baking would reset the mechanisms. My daughter has been on an apple kick, so I had plenty in the fridge & decided to work my baking project around this fruity staple. You know "an apple a day" & all that business. I scoured Pinterest for a recipe, but didn't find what I liked, so I went old-school & hit up my shelves of cookbooks. I found exactly what I wanted in Texas Ties...Recipes and Rememberances from the Junior League of North Harris and South Montgomery Counties, Inc. The homeland was calling me & there was no turning back.

Here's the recipe with my modifications:
BATTER
2 cups flour (I used 1 cup all-purpose & 1 cup white wheat flour)
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup butter, softened
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup sour cream (I used light sour cream)
2 cups finely chopped Granny Smith apples

BROWN SUGAR TOPPING
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
2 tbls melted butter
1 tsp cinnamon
OPTIONAL: 1/2 cup chopped pecans (I didn't add nuts, because daughter no likey :)

• Sift the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt intoa bowl & mix well.
• Beat sugar & butter in a separate bowl until light & fluffy. Beat in eggs & vanilla. Add flour mixture alternately with the sourcream, mixing well after each addition. Fold in apples.
• Prepare Brown Sugar Topping by combining brown sugar, butter and cinnamon in a bowl and mix well. Stir in pecans if wanted.
• Spread into a buttered 9x13 baking pan. Sprinkle Brown Sugar Topping all over the top of the batter. Baked in a preheated 350 degree oven for approximately 35-40 minutes. Cool in pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes before serving.

I wasn't expecting to blog this recipe, so I didn't take a good picture. But after this FB post: "It's hard to tell from the picture, but this might be the best non-chocolate dessert I've ever made! Fresh apple sour cream coffee cake...holymoly!", I had requests to share.

Let me know if you try it too. It's perfect for brunch, dessert, midnight snack, midmorning sugar-booster, midafternoon sugar-crave and anytime you're in the kitchen.