Chocolate Cherry Coffee Cake

Note from Cheri: Here's an impressive cake to serve at your next brunch, coffee klastch or late night dessert party. A classic sour cream coffee cake is given a decadent touch with the addition of chocolate chips and tart dried cherries. The cake in the photo below is drizzled in melted white chocolate, but you also use regularly chocolate or simply dust it with confectioner's sugar.

Cake 1 3/4 C sugar 3 3/4 C flour 2 tsp. baking powder 1 tsp. baking soda 1/2 tsp. salt 1/2 C butter 3 eggs 2 C sour cream 2 tsp. vanilla extract 1 C dried tart cherries Baked in Filling 3/4 C chocolate chips 1 T cocoa 2 tsp. cinnamon 1/3 C sugar Optional Garnishes melted chocolate or white chocolate confectioner's sugar

Serves 10-12 Preheat oven to 350° F. Grease and flour a 9" or 10" tube pan with a removable bottom. Combine filling ingredients, set aside. In a separate bowl combine dry ingredients. In a large bowl with an electric mixer at low speed, beat the sugar and butter until well blended, then increase speed and beat for about 2-3 minutes, until fluffy. Reduce speed to low and add eggs, one at a time, beating after each addition. Continuing at low speed, alternately adding the dry ingredient mixture and the sour cream. Mix in the vanilla nad beat until the batter is smooth. Stir in the dried cherries. Spoon 1/3 of the batter into the prepared pan, sprinkle with half the chocolate mixture. Top that with half the remaining batter, then the remaining chocolate mixture (see photos). Carefully spread the remaining batter over the top. Bake for about 1 hour and fifteen minutes, or until a cake tester comes out clean. Cool cake in pan on wire rack for 10 minutes, before loosening cake from side and removing bottom of pan. Invert the cake onto a plate and remove the bottom of the cake pan, then immediately invert the cake back onto a wire rack to cool completely (the right side will be up). If desired, drizzle top with melted chocolate or white chocolate or sprinkle with confectioner's sugar.