A Morning Treat, or, Extra Sour Cream

What to do with an ingredient you have too much of...

This is a question I ask myself often. It actually deters me from making certain things if I know I'm going to have to purchase a large jar of ingredient x, only use a smidge, and then watch it sit unused in my kitchen until it goes bad and I have to throw it out.

A week ago I made a delicious chive spread that called for 2 Tablespoons of Sour Cream. Unfortunately, sour cream is not sold by the tablespoonful. So I had a bunch left over. What to do? Cinnamon Coffee Cake! Here's what you'll need:

Cake
2 Cups All-Purpose Flour
1 tsp Baking Powder
1 tsp Baking Soda
1 tsp Salt
1/2 Cup Unsalted Butter (1 stick) Room Temp
1 Cup Sugar
3 Eggs, Room Temp
1 Cup Sour Cream, Room Temp
2 tsp Vanilla Extract
1/2 Cup Packed Brown Sugar
2 tsp Cinnamon

Glaze
1/2 Cup Powdered Sugar
1 tsp Cinnamon
2 1/2 tsp Milk (any kind will do, but try to avoid soy)

1. Preheat the oven to 350 Degrees Fahrenheit. Generously mist a 10-ince tube pan or 12-Cup Bundt pan with cooking spray. In a small bowl, combine flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt, stirring together with a fork.

2. In a large bowl, using and electric mixer if you've got it, beat the butter and sugar until fluffy. Beat in the eggs, making sure to scrape down the side of the bowl with a spatula so everything is well incorporated.



3. Using a spatula, stir in half the flour mixture until almost mixed in. Mix in the sour cream and Vanilla together. Stir in the remaining flour mixture, being sure not to over-mix.



4. In a small bowl, stir together the brown sugar and 2 tsp cinnamon with a fork.

5. Pour half the batter into your prepared pan, spreading evenly with a spatula. Sprinkle brown sugar mixture evenly over the batter using fingers. Spread the remaining batter evenly on top. Bake the cake for 45-50 minutes, until a toothpick or knife inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean.



6. Let the cake cool in the pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Carefully run a sharp knife along the outside of the cake, inside the pan, to separate the cake from the sides of the pan. Place wire rack upside-down over the top of the cake pan and, holding on firmly to both the pan and the rack, quickly invert them so that the cake comes out of the pan and onto the rack. Gently lift the pan away and let the cake cool for at least another 30 minutes.

7. Just before serving (or ahead of time, but store in the fridge), make the glaze: Using a fork, in a small bowl mix the powdered sugar, cinnamon and milk. Drizzle over the cake and serve!



And now you don't have a ton of extra sour cream in your fridge. You're welcome.

Oh, you wanted to make baked potatoes topped with sour cream tonight? My bad. Maybe you should go buy some more at Ralph's.