We've finally reached Connecticut and are again with the men in blue. I'm sure you've heard it was a less than perfect year for Christmas travelers. I can attest to an unintended night in Phoenix and an unplanned, though lovely, extension of our Austin visit. Folks more intelligent than I, know better than to book flights that go anywhere near O'Hare airport at this time of year. We've had a run of good luck these past few years and it was bound to end sooner or later. It did. Some blame Hermes, others Christopher. I prefer to take a deep breath, swear a little and then surrender to the limitations of the day. Fortunately, it has all ended well. It's been a wonderful holiday so far and I have another week to go. Oops! More snow is forecast for tomorrow.
From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...I saw the prototype for this coffee cake on Annie's Eats while searching for new sweet breads for the holiday. I wanted to give a Pacific Northwest twist to her wonderful Raspberry Cream Cheese Coffee Cake, so I began to dissemble it. I chose to use a moist potato dough for the cake base, swapped blackberries for raspberries and, of course, felt compelled to use hazelnuts in the streusel topping. I also doubled the ingredients so I could have a spare cake in the freezer. This is not a difficult recipe if you break it into its component parts. It will take time, but you'll also have a luscious coffee cake to serve your family and friends. A refrigerator dough is used to form the base of the coffee cake, so you'll want to start this the day before you plan to serve it. Here's the recipe.
Blackberry Cream Cheese Coffee Cake
Ingredients:
Dough
- 1-1/4 cups warm water
- 2 (4-1/2 teaspoons) packages active dry yeast
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon kosher salt
- 1/2 cup instant, reconstituted warm mashed potatoes, prepared without butter and salt
- 2 large eggs + 2 egg yolks, room temperature
- 1/2 cup butter, softened
- 6-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 4 cups fresh or frozen blackberries
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 2 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- 1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch dissolved in 2 tablespoon orange juice
- 1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese, softened
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoons finely grated lemon zest
- 1 egg, lightly beaten
- 1/2 teaspoon almond extract
- 1/3 cup brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup toasted chopped hazelnuts
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- 5 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into 4 pieces
- 1 large egg
- 1 tsp. heavy cream or whole milk
- 2/3 cup confectioners' sugar
- 4 teaspoons milk
- 1/4 teaspoon almond extract
Directions:
- To make the dough: Pour warm water into a medium size bowl. Sprinkle yeast over water; add sugar and salt; stir to combine. Let sit until mixture begins to bubble, about 5 minutes.
- Add eggs, soft butter, warm mashed potatoes and 3 cups flour. Beat with a portable mixer until just smooth. Using a wooden spoon, beat in 2 additional cups of flour until just mixed into dough. Add remaining 1-1/2 cups flour, using hands to mix dough until it's smooth and leaves sides of bowl. Brush top with oil or melted butter. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise in refrigerator until doubled in bulk, about 2 hours. Punch down. Cover and return to refrigerator for one to three days, punching down once each day. Remove dough from refrigerator 2 hours before proceeding to shape.
- To make berry filling: Combine berries, sugar, lemon juice, salt, cinnamon, cornstarch and orange juice in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring occasionally. Continue boiling, stirring constantly, until mixture is thick and shiny, 1½ to 2 minutes. Scrape into a small bowl, cover and chill thoroughly before using.
- To make cream cheese filling: Beat cream cheese, sugar, flour and salt in bowl of a mixer at high speed until smooth, 2-4 minutes. Add lemon zest, egg and almond extract. Reduce speed to medium and continue beating, scraping down sides of the bowl at least once, until incorporated, about 1 minute. Scrape mixture into a small bowl and chill thoroughly before using.
- To make streusel topping: Mix brown and granulated sugars, flour, hazelnuts, cinnamon and salt in a small bowl. Add butter pieces and toss to coat. Rub butter chunks and dry mixture together between your fingertips until mixture is crumbly. Chill thoroughly before using.
- When ready to shape coffee cakes: Remove dough from refrigerator 2 hours before shaping. Then turn it out onto a lightly floured surface. Divide dough into 2 pieces. Shape each piece into a log about 8 inches long and about 2 inches in diameter. Roll each log evenly into a 40-inch rope about 1 inch in diameter. Flatten each rope into a strip that is 1-1/2 inches wide. Use both hands to twist each strip of dough into a coil. Loosely coil each rope in a spiral pattern, leaving a ¼-inch space between coils. Tuck ends under and pinch to seal. Place each coil on a separate baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Cover shaped cakes with plastic wrap and let rise at room temperature until nearly doubled in volume, about 45-60 minutes.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Brush each cake with egg wash. Spoon half of cheese filling over the center of the top of each cake, leaving a border clear around edge. Layer half of blackberry filling over cheese filling on each cake. Sprinkle streusel topping over each cake. Bake until deep golden brown and an instant-read thermometer inserted in center of the cake reads 190 degrees F, about 25-30 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack and cool for at least 20 minutes.
- To make glaze: Whisk together confectioners' sugar, milk and almond extract in a bowl. Drizzle over top of finished cakes and let set before serving. Yield: 2 cakes; 16-2o servings.
