Peaches and cream coffee cake

Somehow, a few weeks ago, the conversation in my office turned to the fact that I hadn't baked in a while. And then there were suggestions of what I should bake. The end result stemmed from a comment about the coffee cake at a local restaurant, Peaches.

I love finding recipes for things made at restaurants (more on those later, like Chipotle's cilantro lime rice). So when I did a quick search and found this pretty coffee cake on the Betty Crocker website, I was sold.

I made it for my coworkers, and it was easy and delicious. And got gobbled up FAST. The only complication I had was when it came to overlapping the strips of dough ... I don't think I really succeeded at that part. I ended up just kind of pulling some pieces over other pieces and crossing my fingers that it would all work out. But I can tell you that it didn't really matter - the peach pie filling covers it up, and it tasted amazing.

The cake part of this recipe was light and buttery, and the cream cheese filling and peach pie filling added just the right amount of sugary sweetness. I usually don't taste subtleties like lemon juice, but in this recipe, I did, and it added a perfect touch of tang and tart to the doughy, sweet rest of the cake. I can't wait to make this with other flavors of pie filling, too - I'm thinking cherry might be next :)

Ingredients:
Cream Cheese Filling
1 package (8 oz) cream cheese, softened
1/3 cup sugar
1 teaspoon grated lemon peel
2 teaspoons lemon juice

Coffee Cake
1 package (3 oz) cream cheese
1/4 cup firm butter or margarine
2 cups Original Bisquick® mix
1/3 cup milk
2 tablespoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 can (21 oz) peach pie filling
1/4 cup chopped walnuts, if desired

Directions:
1. Heat oven to 425°F. Grease cookie sheet with shortening. In small bowl, beat all cream cheese filling ingredients with electric mixer on medium speed until smooth; set aside.

2. In medium bowl, cut 3 oz cream cheese and the butter into Bisquick mix, using pastry blender (or pulling 2 table knives through ingredients in opposite directions), until particles are the size of small peas. Stir in milk. Place dough on surface sprinkled with Bisquick mix; roll in Bisquick mix to coat. Shape into ball; knead 8 to 10 times.

3. Roll or pat dough into 12x8-inch rectangle. Place on cookie sheet. Spread cream cheese filling down center of rectangle. Make cuts, 2 1/2 inches long, at 1-inch intervals on 12-inch sides of rectangle. Fold strips over filling, overlapping strips. Mix 2 tablespoons sugar and the cinnamon; sprinkle over top.

4. Bake 12 to 15 minutes or until golden; cool 10 minutes. Carefully place on serving platter. Spoon pie filling down center of coffee cake. Sprinkle with walnuts. Serve warm or cool. Store covered in refrigerator.

Source: Betty Crocker

Graham Streusel Coffee Cake

I had another holiday potluck to bake for, and it was the kind of thing that would be munched on throughout the day. I decided to make a coffee cake and found one that was a *bit* more involved than my last one, although since it has a cake mix base, it was rather simple. The streusel was delicious.

I didn't make the drizzle, but there were several comments on the allrecipes.com recipe about additions to give the drizzle more body and flavor.

The cake also stayed extremely moist during the day-long potluck.


1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
3/4 cup chopped pecans
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
2/3 cup butter or margarine, melted
1 (18.25 ounce) package yellow cake mix
1/2 cup confectioners' sugar
1 tablespoon milk

Directions

1. Combine the first five ingredients; set aside.

2. Prepare cake mix according to package directions.

3. Pour half of the batter into a greased 13-in. x 9-in. x 2-in. baking pan. Sprinkle with half of the graham cracker mixture. Carefully spoon the remaining batter on top. Sprinkle with the remaining graham cracker mixture.

4. Bake at 350 degrees F for 40-45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack.

5. Combine confectioners' sugar and milk; drizzle over cake.

Source: allrecipes.com

Quick and Easy Coffee Cake

I made this coffee cake for a craft gathering last month. I had glanced at the recipe (mostly the ingredients) and was eager to try out the easy recipe.

But it was a total (although yummy) cop out as far as coffee cakes go. It (as you'll see, because you all are smarter than me) is a regular cake. With butter drizzled on it. And some other crumbly stuff on top. It was really tasty, but I felt cheap trying to pass it off as coffee cake. Next time? I'm going for something more complex. But hopefully equally as good.

Ingredients:

* 1 box white cake mix, 2 layer size
* 6 tablespoons melted butter
* 1/2 cup sugar
* 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
* 1/2 cup chopped pecans

Preparation:
Prepare cake mix according to directions on package.

Pour batter into two greased 9-inch square pans (I used a 13x9 pan) and bake at 350° for 30 to 35 minutes.

Drizzle melted butter over warm cake.

Combine sugar, cinnamon, and pecans and sprinkle over cake.

Source: about.com