Category Archives: coffee cake

breakfast, breakfast sweets, coffee cake, Uncategorized

Dad’s favorite Raspberry Cream Cheese Coffee Cake

Leave a comment
Dad's Favorite Raspberry Cream Cheese Coffee Cake by Two Carolines
This version is without almond extract or slivered almonds due to my stepson’s tree nut allergies. It’s really great either way.

It’s a King family tradition for birthdays and celebrations that the person of honor gets to pick their favorite meals for the day. That means a favorite breakfast, dinner and dessert. We all had our different favorites and go-tos, but this coffee cake was probably the most requested by all of us, especially my dad. It’s best when made the night before, or if it has hours to cool to room temperature, ’cause the cream cheese can fall a bit if it’s too warm. But let’s be honest; a pool of creamy, jammy goodness can’t be a bad thing, can it? Also, Creamy Jammy Goodness sounds like a 70’s cover band, amiright?

2 1/2 cups flour
3/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup butter
1/2 t. baking powder
1/2 t. baking soda
1/4 t. salt
3/4 cup sour cream (or substitute with plain greek yogurt)
1 egg
1 t. almond extract
8 oz. package cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup sugar
1 egg
1/2 cup raspberry preserves
1/2 cup sliced almonds

  1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease and flour bottom and sides of 9 or 10 inch spring-form pan. Lightly spoon flour into measuring cup; level off. In large bowl, combine flour and 3/4 cup sugar. Using pastry blender or fork, cut butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Reserve 1 cup crumb mixture.
  2. To remaining crumb mixture, add baking powder, baking soda, salt, sour cream, 1 egg and almond extract. Blend well. Spread batter over bottom and two inches up sides of prepared pan. (Batter should be about 1/4 inch thick on sides)
  3. In small bowl, combine cream cheese, ¼ cup sugar and 1 egg; blend well. Pour over batter in pan. Carefully spoon preserves evenly over cream cheese filling.
  4. In small bowl, combine 1 cup reserved crumb mixture and sliced almonds. Sprinkle over top.
  5. Bake at 350 for 45- 55 minutes or until cream cheese filling is set and crust is deep golden brown. Cool 15 minutes. Remove sides of pan. Serve warm or cool, cut into wedges.

-CK 1.0

breakfast, breakfast sweets, Cake, coffee cake, Uncategorized

Cinnamon Streusel Coffee Cake

1 Comment
IMG_7070
Cinnamon Streusel Coffee Cake by twocarolines.com

The makings of a perfect weekend must include breakfast sweets, a fact well supported by our ever growing plethora of sweet breads, muffins and coffee cakes.  The one I make the most is our Apple Cake, which is awesome, and in the summer I like to use fruit and will often do a blueberry crumb cake which is also a treat.  But this weekend I wanted something substantial and classic, and this cake is the ultimate brunchy crunchy chewy cinnamony streusel and glaze topped champion of all great coffee cakes!  There’s so much that’s right about it – I really felt like I was staying at a fancy New York hotel or something with every bite- it’s simple, but has an elegant balanced delicious taste and the heavy crumb on top is the key to all breakfast cake successes.  -CK 2.0

For the Streusel:
1 3/4 cups all purpose flour
1 cup light brown sugar (packed)
1 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon coarse salt (Martha calls for an entire teaspoon, but I like it better with just a touch of the coarse salt then you get just that tingle of salty sweet, but you could also do 1/2 teaspoon of table salt)
3/4 cup cold butter cut into small pieces
1 1/2 cup coarsely chopped toasted walnuts (to toast – but on a cookie sheet in a 350 oven for about 7-9 minutes until lightly toasted and fragrant)

For the Cake:
1/2 cup butter
2 cups all purpose flour
1 1/4 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon coarse salt (or 1/2 table salt)
1 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup sour cream

For the Glaze:
1 1/2 cups confectioners sugar
3 tablespoons whole milk (I used 2 buttermilk and one whole milk)

 

  1. Make the Streusel top and middle layers: Mix together flour, 3/4 cup brown sugar, 1 teaspoon cinnamon, and the salt.  Cut in butter with a pastry blender or rub in with your fingers until small to medium clumps form.  Mix in 1/2 cup nuts.  Refrigerate topping until ready to use.  Make the streusel center:  Mix together remaining 1/4 cup brown sugar, 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon, and 1 cup nuts, reserve for layering into the center of the batter.
  2. Make the Cake: Preheat oven to 350.  Butter a 9-inch tube pan with a removable bottom (you can use a springform pan also.  I used a 9×13 which is trickier to get the layer in the center to work out so I recommend a round pan).  Sift flour baking powder, baking soda, and salt into a medium bowl.
  3. With an electric mixer on medium beat the butter and sugar until pale and fluffy, about 2 minutes.  Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition.  Beat in vanilla.  Add flour mixture in 3 batches alternating with 2 batches of the sour cream.  Beat until well combined.
  4. Transfer half of the batter to the prepared pan.  Sprinkle streusel evenly over batter.  Top with remaining batter; spread evenly with an offset spatula.  Sprinkle streusel topping evenly onto batter.
  5. Bake until cake is golden brown and a cake tester comes out clean, about 55 minutes.  Transfer pan to a wire rack to cool completely.  Remove cake from pan; transfer to a parchment lined work surface or serving platter.
  6. Make the Glaze: Mix together the confectioners sugar and milk.  drizzle over cake allowing glaze to drop down the sides.  Let sit a few minutes before serving.
IMG_7071
Cinnamon Coffee Cake by twocarolines.com

Recipe adapted from Cinnamon Streusel Coffee Cake – Martha Stewart Cakes Book

 

coffee cake, Pumpkin, Uncategorized

Pumpkin Streusel Coffee Cake

1 Comment
Two Carolines Pumkin Streusel Coffee Cake.jpgYa’ll know that Pumpkin Season is in full swing, and we want to take advantage of that as much as possible. We want ALL things pumpkin. We are seeing cereal, crackers, candy, cookies, pasta, drinks, etc., etc. doused with pumpkin flavor. We need to feed this addiction morning, noon and night. So, we are starting with your morning. Why don’t you wake up to this beauty tomorrow? I’ve been thinking about a pumpkin coffee cake for a while now and found the perfect recipe over at King Arthur Flour. I only changed one thing with the spices, and I think this cake is going to be the best part of waking up for anyone who has the good sense to make it.

Pumpkin Streusel Coffee Cake

Topping

  • 2/3 cup granulated sugar
  • pinch of salt
  • 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1/4 cup chopped pecans, optional
  • 4 tablespoons melted butter

Filling

  • 1/3 cup brown sugar
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1 teaspoon unsweetened cocoa powder, optional (this is only for color, not for taste)

Cake

  • 1/3 cup vegetable oil
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • 1 cup pumpkin purée
  • 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
  • 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
  • 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly grease an 8″ square pan or 9″ round pan.
  2. To make the topping: Whisk together the sugar, salt, flour, spice, and nuts. Add the melted butter, stirring just until well combined. Set the topping aside.
  3. To make the filling: Mix together the brown sugar, spice, and cocoa powder. Note that the cocoa powder is used strictly for color, not flavor; leave it out if you like. Set it aside.
  4. To make the cake: Beat together the oil, eggs, sugar, pumpkin, spices, salt, and baking powder until smooth.
  5. Add the flour, stirring just until smooth.
  6. Pour/spread half the batter into the prepared pan, spreading it all the way to the edges. If you have a scale, half the batter is about 13 1/2 ounces.
  7. Sprinkle the filling evenly atop the batter.
  8. Spread the remaining batter atop the filling. Use a table knife to gently swirl the filling into the batter, as though you were making a marble cake. Don’t combine filling and batter thoroughly; just swirl the filling through the batter.
  9. Sprinkle the topping over the batter in the pan.
  10. Bake the cake until it’s light brown on top, and a toothpick or cake tester inserted into the center comes out clean, about 40 to 45 minutes. 
  11. Remove the cake from the oven and allow it to cool for 20 minutes before cutting and serving. Serve the cake right from the pan.

-CK 1.0