A Chocolate Chip Nut Loaf

When love lurks in the supermarket Entenmann's display.

Thank you for subscribing to the Like Magic newsletter! Today, as promised, we wanted to send you the recipe for the Sour Cream Chocolate Chip Nut Loaf that Jenny once baked for her dad on Father’s Day. The goal was to replicate an old Entenmann’s treat that she and her dad loved in the 80s, but was discontinued somewhere along the way. “I don’t think I’ve ever walked by the Entenmann’s display without secretly hoping I’ll spy one amid the doughnut holes and crumb cakes,” Jenny says. Until then, they have the homemade version (scroll down) which comes about as close as you can get.

Jenny’s dad is not the only dad who was drawn to the iconic New York-based baked goods brand. Jodi’s late father-in-law Fred’s loyalty ran deep, too. “Pop's food pyramid was pot roast, ice cream, and Entenmann's,” Jodi’s sister-in-law, Kat says. “Saturday morning meant Dad would go out for the paper…and an Entenmann's cake, usually the Crumb Coffee Cake. When we were old enough to help ourselves he just increased the boxes of cakes bought, Crumb for him, Raspberry Danish for my sister, Devil’s Food with Marshmallow frosting for my brother and me. There was a minimum of four boxes for the weekend, and eventually, the Crumb Cake Glazed Donuts were also a staple.”

Naturally, the obsession figured prominently on days of celebration. For Fred’s 70th birthday, Kat and her husband, Greg, hand-painted this box, a giant replication of the classic packaging with the peekaboo window, to house the birthday cake. And even now, the family will always pick up a box of something Entenmann’s on his birthday as a way to remember him.

Jenny’s dad, Ivan: Never more than an arm’s reach away from something sweet

Sour Cream and Chocolate Chip Nut Loaf
From How to Celebrate Everything, by Jenny Rosenstrach
Photo by Chelsea Cavanaugh

Butter, for greasing the pan

Cinnamon Sugar
¼ cup sugar
¾ teaspoon ground cinnamon 

Batter 
2 eggs 
⅔ cup sugar 
½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract 
1 ½ cups all-purpose flour 
1 ¼ teaspoons baking powder 
1 ¼ teaspoons baking soda 
1 teaspoon salt 
½ cup (1 stick) butter, melted 
1 ⅓ cups sour cream 
¾ cup semisweet chocolate chips
 ⅓ cup roughly chopped walnuts 

Preheat the oven to 375°F. Butter a 9 by 5-inch standard loaf pan. 

Make the cinnamon sugar: In a small bowl, mix together the sugar and cinnamon. 

Make the batter: In a large bowl, using an electric mixer at medium speed, beat the eggs until frothy, about 3 minutes. Add the sugar and vanilla, beating until smooth. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. 

Add the melted butter and the sour cream to the egg-and-sugar mixture; beat until well combined. At low speed, add the dry mixture to the wet mixture a spoonful at a time, beating just until smooth. Fold in the chocolate chips. 

Spread half of the batter in the prepared pan and sprinkle evenly with about two-thirds of the cinnamon sugar. Sprinkle with the walnuts. Top with the remaining batter, spreading evenly. (This cake rises considerably, so be sure the batter is at least ¾ inch below the rim of the pan.) Sprinkle with the remaining cinnamon sugar. 

Bake for 45 to 50 minutes or until a knife or skewer inserted in the center comes out clean. 

Have a great weekend!