Smells like Christmas!

It smells delicious in my home today! I am baking coffee cake for Christmas morning and big, soft ginger cookies for gifts. The tree is lit, the carols are on, and this is what my boys are doing while I'm slaving away in the kitchen:

(yes, there is a dog in there, and yes, he's snoring)

Coffee cake was one of the very first things I learned how to make. This recipe is simple, delicious, and smells absolutely amazing.

Ingredients

• 1/2 pound of butter
• 1 cup of sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup sour cream
• 1 tsp baking soda (be sure to add this WITH the sour cream and vanilla, not before them)
• 1 1/2 cups flour
• 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 tsp cinnamon

Directions

1. Cream butter and 3/4 of the sugar together (set the other 1/4 aside)

2. Add eggs

3. Add flour, salt and baking POWDER

4. THEN add sour cream, baking soda and vanilla

5. Place half the batter in a tube pan

6. Mix the quarter cup of sugar you set aside with the tsp of cinnamon and sprinkle half of it on the batter

7. Cover this with the other half of the batter, and then sprinkle with the other half of the cinnamon-sugar mixture on top

8. Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes