Chobani Christmas Coffee Cake

Christmas is less than two weeks away and I know we're all scurrying to get everything done.  This coffee cake came to me while sitting for a minute, taking a deep breath, and enjoying a snack of my favorite Greek yogurt--Chobani/Key Lime.  It's no secret that instead of coffee, I have a Diet Coke with Lime every morning, so you can understand my obsession with this flavor:-D

Food brings back a lot of memories for me and while I looked at this packaging, a memory of being with my girls came back.  It happened that the Catholic school they attended was not far from the mall in Thousand Oaks, CA and so occasionally we would stop on our way home for some "mother-daughter" shopping--they shopped, I paid!  And, occasionally we would take time for a treat when a must needed break was called for.  Our favorite place was a cinnamon roll shop, where one bun was plenty big enough for the three of us to share.  I ordered a diet Coke and the girls would get a Lime Cooler--fresh lime juice with club soda and a maraschino cherry!

The flavors in this coffee cake remind me of those days.  It's tang of lime, paired with the maraschino cherry filling and a hint of cinnamon in honor of those buns.  How good it would be on Christmas morning with brunch after all those presents are unwrapped.  My hubby says it's perfect with a good cup of coffee, but I'll have to take his word on that!

Chobani Christmas Coffee Cake

10 T (1 stick + 2T) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
3 large eggs
Zest and juice of one lime
2 cartons (5.3oz) Chobani/Key Lime Greek Yogurt
1 1/2 tsp. Vanilla extract
2 cups King Arthur all-purpose flour
1/2 cup cake flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt

Filling:
3/4 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1/2 cup maraschino cherries, cut into quarters
3/4 cup pecans, chopped
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon

Crumb Topping:
1 1/4 cups King Arthur all-purpose flour
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1 T lime zest
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted

Preheat oven to 325F-degrees.  Use a baking spray to coat a 10-cup tubed baking pan.  I used my "coffee cake" pan, but if you use a decorative Bundt pan, baking time will have to be adjusted.

In a stand mixer, using the paddle attachment, cream the butter, sugars and lime zest thoroughly.  Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed with a rubber spatula.  Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.  Scrape down the sides and add the extract and lime juice.

Sift the dry ingredients and add to the butter mixture, alternating with the Chobani yogurt, starting and ending with the flour mixture.

Mix up the filling ingredients in a medium bowl.  Add half of the batter to the prepared baking pan.  Spoon the filling over the batter, being careful to keep it away from the sides.  Top with the remaining batter and use an off-set spatula to smooth the surface.

Mix up the crumb topping in the same bowl as the filling was in (no need to wash another bowl!)  First, place all the dry ingredients into the bowl and mix well.  Pour the melted butter over the dry ingredients and use a fork to combine.  The mixture will form "crumbles" about 1/4 to 1/2-inch round; perfect for the topping.  Spoon topping over the batter.

Place in the preheated over for 50-55 minutes.  You can test the cake with a wooden skewer poked in the center--if it comes out cleanly, it's done.  Remove from the oven and allow the cake to rest for 10-15 minutes.  This resting is important to allow the filling to cool and not flatten the cake.

I used a parchment lined baking sheet to invert the pan and them placed my glass cake plate under it and flipped it once more so the crumb topping was showing.

It's great served just like this, warm from the oven or you can allow it cool slightly and add a glaze.

Glaze:
1 cup confectioners' sugar
1 T light Karo syrup
2 T Maraschino cherry syrup
1-2 tsp. very warm water, if needed to thin the glaze

Drizzle over the cake before serving.

Just as I remember from those days of shopping with my girls.  Enjoy!

If you would like to see more recipes with Chobani yogurt, check out their recipe site.

Cranberry Coffee Cake

Besides turkey and pumpkin, cranberries are what defines Thanksgiving to me; maybe because it's indigenous to North America, but moreover I love those red, tart, bounce berries and can't wait until they appear in the grocery store.  My mother and I would make whole cranberry sauce, which we loved, but she'd also buy a can of the jellied kind for the skeptics who didn't think you should have texture!  This recipe calls for whole-berry and since fresh cranberries have been around for a few weeks, I had some already made up (I love it on grilled cheese sandwiches!)

My mother's kitchen was only 10' x 10', had hardly any counter space and no double ovens--just a stove, so coordinating a huge dinner was a feat that I watched her orchestrate year after year!  We baked cranberry nut bread, along with pumpkin loaves the day before, to have on hand for the feeding the hungry tribe and keep them out of the kitchen while we worked on dinner--which started in the wee hours of the morning.  I thought of those times and long for the camaraderie we shared to make everything just perfect while I made this delicious coffee cake from the King Arthur recipe files.

Cranberry Coffee Cake
Preheat oven to 350F-degrees.  Spray a coffee-cake ring pan or a 9" x 13" baking pan with a baking spray and set aside.

Streusel:
1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1 cup + 2T King Arthur all-purpose flour
pinch of salt
2 tsp. vanilla extract
2 tsp. ground cinnamon
5 T unsalted butter
In a medium bowl, mix the dry ingredients, vanilla extract and cinnamon, then use a pastry cutter to incorporate the butter (I cut the butter into 1/2" pieces).

Batter:
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup + 2 T firmly packed brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 cup yogurt (I used Greek honey-flavored)
2 cups King Arthur all-purpose flour (they also recommend whole wheat or white/wheat flour)
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt

Filling:
1 cup whole-berry cranberry sauce

In a stand mixer, using the paddle attachment, cream the sugar and butter together.  Add the eggs, one at a time, until incorporated.  Mix in the vanilla.

Add the dry ingredients and the yogurt and mix on medium speed to combine.  Spoon batter into the prepared pan.  Use a spoon to add dollops of the cranberry sauce around, then use a fork to mix it slightly into the batter.

Add the streusel topping over the batter.

Bake in the oven for 40 minutes, testing for doneness with a wooden skewer.  

I allowed the cake to cool for 10-15 minutes before turning it out onto a cookie sheet, lined with wax paper.

 Then, place your serving platter over the cake and flip it to the right side (streusel side up).

I decided to add a glaze drizzled over it, but that is optional.
Glaze:
1 cup confectioners' sugar
1 T light Karo syrup
2-3 T very hot water
1/8 tsp. Cran-Raspberry flavoring

Mix the glaze and drizzle over the top of the cake.

If you bake the cake in the rectangle cake pan, you can serve the squares right from the pan!

Thanksgiving is a time to be thankful for all the wonderful people in our lives and I count all of you in those blessings.  Wishing you a holiday, full of memories; I know I have many. Enjoy!

 

Sticky Bun Coffee Cake

One of the things my daughters and I would get, at the mall while shopping, was a Sticky Bun to share.  These wonderful rolls of cinnamon-yeast dough with a caramel/pecan topping that sticks to your hands and teeth, but oh so good.  I was thinking of those treats when I was at the mall yesterday; Christmas shopping and checking out the new gadgets for holiday baking.  I wandered into Williams-Sonoma and saw an unique baking pan...the Cinnamon Bun Pan.

Even though WS offers a "mix" to make a Cinnamon Roll Cake, I couldn't help but challenge myself to come up with my version--easy enough to entice you too to bake from scratch for your family. (*Note, you don't have to buy the pan; this recipe will work in a 9" Springform pan or for individual buns, a muffin pan.)

The reason I made mine a Sticky Bun Cake (and not just a Cinnamon Roll) was that I came across two local products at our Farmer's Market, pecans and honey, and I love to support these growers/bee keepers.

Pecans are a species of the hickory tree and the name comes from the Algonquin word meaning a nut requiring a stone to crack.  North Carolina isn't as well known for growing pecans as Georgia, Alabama, Iowa, Illinois, Kansas, Illinois, Missouri, Indiana, Tennessee, Kentucky, Texas, and Louisiana, but these from Turkey, North Carolina sure impressed me with their size and flavor.  We love pecan pie for the holidays and Kelly's favorite recipe was Pecan Tassies that she would bake to give as gifts.  They are an excellent source of Magnesium and a good source of protein and unsaturated fat.

I'll be testing some recipes ideas and thinking how quickly the holidays seem to be coming up.  I hope to share some new and interesting ones from my memories.

Sticky Bun Coffee Cake
Preheat oven to 350F-degrees.  Spray desired baking pan with a Baking Spray and set aside.
Sticky Topping:
1/2 cup honey (you could also use maple syrup or dark Karo syrup)
1 cup firmly packed brown sugar
3 T melted butter
1 cup pecans, broken in half or rough chopped

In a small bowl, mix the honey and brown sugar together.  Add the melted butter and stir again.  Finally add the pecans.

I use a cookie scoop to measure out the sticky mixture for the pan.

Cinnamon Swirl:
1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar
2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 T King Arthur all-purpose flour
2 T melted butter

Mix all ingredients in a small bowl and set aside.

 Coffee Cake batter:
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
2 tsp. Vanilla extract
2 1/4 cups King Arthur all-purpose flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
1 cup sour cream (don't use Light or Low Fat!)

In a stand mixer, using the paddle attachment, cream the butter, oil and sugar together thoroughly.  Add the eggs, one at a time, scraping the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula as needed.  Add the Vanilla extract and mix once more.

Whisk together the dry ingredients and add to the bowl with the sour cream.  Mix on low until all ingredients are combined.

To assemble:
On top of the Sticky Topping, spoon a little more than half of the batter on top.

Next, sprinkle with the Cinnamon Swirl Topping over top of the batter.

Finally, spoon the remaining batter over this layer and smooth to cover.

Bake in the preheated oven for 35 minutes, then lower the temperature to 325F-degrees and continue baking another 12-15 minutes until a wooden skewer in the center of the cake comes out cleanly.

Have your serving plate near by so you can turn the cake onto it.  Allow to be upside-down on the platter for about 7-10 minutes so all the sticky topping releases.

Lift off and allow to cool completely--even though that sticky topping is calling your name, it will burn!

The wonderful cake with a cinnamon swirl and that luscious sticky topping is worth the wait and so easy to make.  Fix a cup of tea and have a piece, then, start that Christmas list you've been putting off. Enjoy!

**Note ~ If you don't eat the entire cake in one sitting (:-D) then, simply put a piece in the microwave and nuke for 20 seconds to warm up the caramel topping.

 

Cinnamon Roll Cake

It's no surprise that cinnamon is one of my favorite spices, so when I received my copy of The Baking Sheet, published six times a year by King Arthur Flour, I couldn't help but take notice of this recipe for Cinnamon Roll Cake.  This recipe, with some adaptations, was originally submitted to the 2012 King Arthur Flour "Great Cake Contest" by Amy Colvin of Pueblo, Colorado, where it took 1st place in their State Fair.  It reminded me a lot of the sour cream coffee cakes my mom would bake, with the exception that this one has a small box of Jell-O Vanilla pudding mixed with the dry ingredients!

Whether you like a bit of cake with your coffee in the morning, tea in the afternoon, or just as a dessert, this is a winner in my book.

Cinnamon Roll Cake
Cake:
2 cups King Arthur all-purpose flour
1 cup granulated sugar
2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1 3-ounce box Vanilla instant pudding mix
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
1/4 cup vegetable oil
4 large eggs
2 tsp. vanilla extract
1 cup sour cream

1/4 cup sugar
1 T ground cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350F-degrees.  Grease a 9 or 10-cup bundt cake pan
In a stand mixer, whisk together all the dry ingredients.  All at once add the butter, oil, eggs, vanilla, sour cream.  Mix well, the dough will be thick.

In a separate bowl, mix the 1/4 cup of sugar and 1 T cinnamon together.  Fold into the cake batter with a large spatula, leaving swirls through the batter.  Scoop half of the batter into the prepared pan.

Cinnamon Filling:
1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1 T cinnamon
1/2 cup walnuts, chopped

Mix the ingredients together in a separate bowl, then, sprinkle over the batter in the pan.  Scoop the remaining batter over the filling and smooth the top.

 Bake for 45 to 50 minutes, or until a cake tester inserted in the middle comes out clean.  (Mine took exactly 45 minutes).  Remove from the oven and cool on a rack for an additional 20 minutes before flipping the cake out of the pan to finish cooling.

 Glaze:
2 cups confectioners' sugar
3 to 4 T heavy cream
1 tsp. vanilla

Mix together the glaze ingredients until smooth.  Drizzle over the cake once it's lukewarm.  Yields about 20 servings.

Amidst another tragedy in our country, I felt baking a coffee cake was a good idea; have some friends stop by and make sure you tell them how special they are to you. So, I'm telling you all, my dear friends in blogdom, that you bring joy to my life and how much I love getting to know each and every one of you.  Enjoy!

Cranberry~Pecan Coffee Cake

I'm not one to rush through the seasons...or the holidays, but when I was out and about this weekend, I saw several stores with their wrapping papers and ornaments for Christmas out already--Geeze!!  I guess I should have expected it since Halloween candy and costumes have been out since Labour Day!

At our house, we didn't really get into the spirit of Christmas until after Thanksgiving; that was the rule:-))  Thanksgiving was a big deal at our house with preparations for dinner starting at least a week ahead.  I may have a lot of fancy gadgets, double ovens, food processors, stand mixer, etc., but let me tell you I have helped my mom prepare this large meal in a kitchen that was barely a 10' x 12' room with none of that and it was memorable.

Thinking ahead to Thanksgiving, I decided to create a coffee cake that would be perfect to serve to your family either the morning of, or if you have company staying over, the morning after.  My mom and I made up cranberry and pumpkin breads the day before so everyone could have a substantial breakfast without needing to come into the kitchen to make it.  (The night before, we baked pies!)

In 2009, when I was in Kentucky during Kelly's chemo regiment, I flew to my sister's in Virginia for Thanksgiving.  (Our oldest daughter, Erin wanted to be with Kelly during Thanksgiving and I wanted them to have precious time alone together).  Also, I had just reconnected with my sister after 13 years, when Kelly and I made a road trip in June to her house.  She made the traditional cranberry~nut bread, but now has some dietary restrictions and I think I've come up with a delicious way for her to enjoy this coffee cake without worry.  I baked it in a 10-cup ring pan, but you could adapt this recipe to make two loaves just as easily.

Cranberry~Pecan Coffee Cake
Streusel topping:
4T + 1 1/2 tsp. King Arthur all-purpose flour
6 T granulated sugar
2 T firmly packed light brown sugar
3 T unsalted butter, at room temperature
3/4 cup pecans 

Using a food processor, combine all the dry ingredients in the bowl and pulse until the pecans are finely ground.  Add the butter and pulse again to combine.

Preheat oven to 350F-degrees.  Spray a 10-cup ring cake pan with baking spray and set aside.

Cake:
1 3/4 cups pecans (toasted in a 350F-degree oven for 8 minutes)
1 1/2 cups + 2 T granulated sugar

Cool toasted pecans, then, combine in the food processor bowl, along with the granulated sugar and pulse until the mixture resembles coarse sand.

2 cups King Arthur all-purpose flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
3 large eggs
3/4 c milk
2 tsp. vanilla extract
1/2 cup + 1T unsalted butter, melted

In a large bowl, combine the dry ingredients, then, add the pecan/sugar mixture and stir.  Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and add the eggs, milk and melted butter and stir to combine.

3 cups fresh cranberries
2 T confectioners' sugar

Once again, using the food processor, combine the cranberries and confectioners' sugar and pulse until the cranberries are a medium chop.  Add them to the batter and stir again.  

Pour batter into the prepared pan(s) and top with the streusel topping.

Bake in the preheated oven for 38-40 minutes until a tester comes out cleanly when poked in the center.

Allow coffee cake to cool for about 10 minutes, then place a plate, covered with wax paper, over top and invert.  

Place your choice of serving platters over the bottom of the cake and invert once more so the streusel is on top again.

Vanilla Glaze: 
1 cup confectioners' sugar
1 T Light Karo syrup
1/2 tsp. Orange juice powder
1-2 T very warm water

Mix ingredients together thoroughly and drizzle over the top of the streusel.

Times flies, but having baking plans will help the hectic season that is about to befall us in November.  This coffee cake will make a wonderful morning treat or serve it at "tea time." Enjoy! 

Congratulations to Susan from "Writing Straight from the Heart"--your name was chosen for the Sunflower pendant necklace!  Please email me your address so I can mail this gift to you, XOXO