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.