Chocolate Chip Coffeecake

Tips: A not-too-sweet cake with chocolate chips, topped by a streusel with a little spice. Perfect for tea, brunch, or after school, this is not chic or fancy, just "down home" and delicious. The topping can be prepared while the cake bakes; it's a snap when made in the processor. This cake doesn't keep for more than a day or so; if you do store it, it should be airtight and at room temperature. (Reheat, if desired, by cutting into serving portions; place on foil-lined shallow pan and in preheated 350 degree F oven for 5 to 10 minutes, or just until warm.) Please grate your own nutmeg fresh, as the difference in smell and taste is more than worth the small effort required. If you like nuts in your coffeecake, use about 3/4 cup of medium-fine-chopped pecans or walnuts, and add them to the chips at the beginning of the recipe. It's very helpful to have the Topping ingredients ready to go before you put the cake together.

Cake:

For Cake: Adjust rack to center of oven. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and lightly flour a 13 by 9 by 2 inch pan.

Place miniature chocolate chips in small bowl. When flour has been sifted and measured, take out about 1 Tbsp. and add it to the chips, stirring them well to coat (this isdone so the chipswon't sink quite so much as the cake bakes, though most will end up in the bottom third of the cake anyway). Set aside. Into medium bowl, sift remaining flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt. Set aside.

In large bowl of electric mixer, combine softened butter, granulated sugar, and vanilla. Beat at a low speed to combine, then beat 2 minutes at medium speed, stopping once to scrape bowl and beater(s) with rubber spatula. At a low speed, add eggs, one at a time, beating after each addition until incorporated. Scrape bowl and beater(s) again. Increase speed to medium; beat 1 minute. At lowest speed, alternately add sifted dry ingredients in three additions and yogurt in two additions, beginning and ending with dry ingredients and beating after each addition just until incorporated. Scrape bowl and beater(s) as necessary during this process. Remove from mixer.

By hand, stir in orange rind, then chips (including any additional flour with them), stirring just until blended. Turn into prepared pan. Spread level, then, with back of spoon, run batter higher in corners and along edges, leaving it somewhat lower in the middle. Place pan in preheated oven. You'll bake it for 20 minutes, initially; during this time, prepare Topping.

For Topping: In food processor fitted with steel blade, combine brown sugar, flour, and spices. Process briefly until well-combined. Add butter pats; pulse on-and-off until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Turn into bowl; set aside until needed. (If you don't have a food processor, combine brown sugar, flour, and spices in medium bowl; mix well with spoon or fork to blend and remove as many lumps as possible. With pastry blender or two knives, cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs.)

When cake has baked for 20 minutes, remove from oven. Working quickly, place Topping all over surface of cake (use a spoon or your fingers), especially along edges and in corners. Return pan to oven. Bake 9 to 14 minutes longer, just until toothpick inserted in center emerges with only a few moist crumbs clinging to it. (Total baking time is 29 to 34 minutes.) Do not overbake. Allow to cool at least 30 minutes before serving; serve warm or at room temperature.

12 to 16 servings