Pioneer Woman's Coffee Cake

Last night, we had over our new friend and her husband, of JessJamesJake fame, who I met at the All Over Albany party. I thought it would be a good time to use our pasta machine and I totally pimped out my husband's cooking skills ("Do you guys want to come over and eat his pasta sauce?" "Scott, you are going to make some pasta sauce for some people who live around the corner from us!").  The good thing about having people over is you can make desserts that you wanted to make, but thought were too decadent for a house with two people in it. I bought the new Pioneer Woman cookbook when I went and saw her speak in NYC in March. We wanted to make the coffee cake, and this one she posted in 2009 is pretty similar to the one in the book except you'd swap out the instant coffee crystals in the filling for cream cheese, and put a different icing on top (more of a ganache), but the cake is the same. I made some doughnuts from that book back in March. Anyways, check it out!

Ah, totally delicious! Here are things I like about baked goods: cream cheese (check), not too sweet (check), buttermilk (check), freshness (check), and a mixture of textures (that too!). Pretty much a winner all around!

There was talk of Tour de Hard Ice Cream, where we've lived before, re-doing our bachelorette parties (we both had a bit of girls gone mild (like this), how to make pasta, and Cardona's delicious Italian bread. The dessert was a hit. Then, Scott went and got some port we got at a winery on our honeymoon because James said he is a port appreciator.

The port was fabulous. It was not cloyingly sweet and had a deep, complex flavor. It was the kind of fabulous where you have to pause and just stare at your glass and wonder how the contents can possibly be that delicious.

Overall, it was great to have new people over, and I am grateful to the All Over Albany party for making it possible for me to meet people I may not normally meet.