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

I dream of Dream Cupcakes

My parents get into town today!!
To welcome them, I always do several things: I clean (even though they tell me not to), I buy pop (the diet Cokes and diet Mountain Dews are chilling in my fridge), and I bake. I inherited my sweet tooth from my parents, so they always gobble up whatever I make.
I asked my mom if she had any requests. After she named pretty much everything I've ever baked for her, I decided I was bored with all the old staples. I wanted to try something new, I told her.
"Well, I like cake," my mom said, helpfully.
"I know this about you. You must also like cupcakes..."
"Ohhh, yes, I do. They're little cakes."
That was my starting point for a scavenger hunt of my cookbooks. I would know the recipe when I saw it. Something was going to jump out at me.
On my fourth book, I saw it: Dream Cupcakes. Simple, yet really promising: chocolate cupcakes with a cream-cheese-chocolate-chip-coconut center. Oh haaaaeell yeah.

The filling (yum):

Pre-oven:

Post-oven:


Ingredients
*1 package chocolate cake mix
*6 oz. cream cheese, softened
*1/3 cup sugar
*1 egg
*1/8 teaspoon salt
*1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
*1/4 cup flaked coconut, optional
*Plus any ingredients needed to make the cake mix

Directions
Prepare cake mix according to package directions. Fill greased or paper-lined muffin cups half full.
In a large mixing bowl, beat cream cheese and sugar until smooth. Add egg and salt; beat until creamy. Stir in chocolate chips and coconut if desired.
Drop about 2 teaspoonfuls of cream cheese mixture into the center of each cupcake. Bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes or until cake springs back when lightly touched. Cool for 5 minutes before removing from pans to wire racks.
Store in the refrigerator.
Yield: about 2-1/2 dozen.
Source: Taste of Home: Cake Mix Creations

My notes:
*I used mini-chocolate chips. They were on sale, and I thought they would look cuter in the cream cheese filling than the regular ones. I was right. So if you're concerned about cuteness, too, try these.
*Check on these puppies early. My were done at 19 minutes.
*I had enough cupcake batter for about 2-1/2 dozen, but my filling was only enough for about 2 dozen cupcakes. I didn't want to skimp on the filling, since it's the main event.
*I used the optional coconut. I would maybe use a little more next time, maybe 1/2 cup. I liked the texture it gave the filling, and I'm a big fan of coconut.