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Caffeinated Birthday

It was Steveo's birthday this past weekend, and he who invited me to the poker game so I could completely clean out the table of their nickels and dimes. But to show that I wasn't out to take take take, I brought cake and ice cream.

Cinnamon Swirl Coffee Cake

½c brown sugar
½c chopped walnuts, toasted
1T ground cinnamon
1T unsweetened cocoa powder

1¼c white sugar
3c all purpose flour
1T baking powder
¾t salt

¾c unsalted butter, room temperature
5 large eggs
1T vanilla extract
1c whole milk
2T vegetable oil

Preheat oven: 350°F. Butter and flour 10-inch diameter by 4-inch-deep angel food cake pan (or one of those fancy new silicone bunt pans that will totally require 25 extra minutes of baking and stick to the cake because you didn't think you needed to spray it with Pam).

Mix the brown sugar, walnuts, cinnamon, and cocos in small bowl. Sift flour, baking powder, and salt in medium bowl.

beat butter in large bowl until smooth. Gradually beat in white sugar, then eggs one at a time, and then the vanilla. Mix in dry ingredients in 3 additions alternately with mile and oil.

Spoon 1/3 batter into pan, then sprinkle with half of walnut mixture. Another 1/3 of the batter, the rest of the walnut mixture, then the rest of the batter. Using a knife, cut through batter to swirl (don't over mix) walnut mixture.

Bake about 55 minutes (or nearly an hour and a half if using that fancy silicone bunt pan you've always wanted to try) or until toothpick comes out clean. Cool cake in pan on rack.

Can be made a day in advance; cover pan with foil and store at room temperature.

Serve with cappuccino chip ice cream from the Ben & Jerry's Homemade Ice Cream & Dessert Book.

Win every poker hand because you not only aren't wearing underwear, but also because everyone is too distracted by all of the sugary goodness you brought.