Cherry-Cream Cheese Coffee Cake

This coffee braid  looks bakery-fancy,  but Pillsbury®  crescents make it  flaky, delicious and easy.

I'm the first to admit that although I love cooking and baking from scratch, semi-homemade cooking is so convenient when you are short on time or motivation.  Through the years I have learned many little tricks to make cooking and baking faster and easier . . . the use of awesome convenience products like Pillsbury Crescents is one of them.

The Pillsbury website has lots of these type of recipes . . . this one comes from the section "Morning Favorites."

prep time 20 min
total time 1 hr 15 min
ingredients 8
12 servings

Ingredients

1 package (3 oz) cream cheese, softened

2 tablespoons granulated sugar

1 teaspoon almond extract

1/4 cup sliced almonds

1/4 cup chopped maraschino cherries, well drained

1 can (8 oz) Pillsbury® refrigerated crescent dinner rolls or 

1 can (8 oz) Pillsbury® Crescent Recipe Creations® refrigerated seamless dough sheet

1/2 cup powdered sugar

2 teaspoons milk


Directions

Heat oven to 375°F. Grease cookie sheet with shortening. In small bowl, beat cream cheese and granulated sugar with electric mixer on medium speed until light and fluffy. Stir in almond extract, almonds and cherries; set aside. 

If using crescent rolls: Unroll dough onto cookie sheet; press into 13x7-inch rectangle, firmly pressing perforations to seal.

If using dough sheet: Unroll dough onto cookie sheet; press into 13x7-inch rectangle.

Spoon cream cheese mixture lengthwise down center 1/3 of rectangle. On each long side of dough rectangle, make cuts 1 inch apart to edge of filling. Fold opposite strips of dough over filling and cross in center to form a braided appearance; seal ends.

Bake 18 to 22 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from cookie sheet to cooling rack. Cool completely, about 30 minutes.

In small bowl, mix powdered sugar and milk until smooth; drizzle over coffee cake. If desired, garnish with additional sliced almonds and cherries.

Source:  Pillsbury Morning Favorites

Cream Cheese Coffee Cake

There is something about cream cheese that automatically

wants me to try a new recipe.  When I found this recipe on

Pinterest, it was calling my name!

You can never go wrong with a recipe that comes from

America's Test Kitchen.

Cream Cheese Coffee Cake
From Cooks' Illustrated

via Joyful Baker

Makes one 10-inch cake, serving 12 to 16

Lemon Sugar-Almond Topping
1/4 cup sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons finely grated zest from 1 lemon
1/2 cup sliced almonds

Cake
2 1/4 cups (11 1/4 ounces) unbleached all-purpose flour
1 1/8 teaspoons baking powder
1 1/8 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon table salt
10 tablespoons (1 stick plus 2 tablespoons) unsalted butter, 
  softened but still cool
1 cup plus 7 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon finely grated zest plus 4 teaspoons juice from 1 to 2 lemons
4 large eggs
5 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 1/4 cups sour cream
8 ounces cream cheese, softened


FOR THE TOPPING: 

Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 350 degrees. Stir together sugar and lemon zest in small bowl until combined and sugar is moistened. Stir in almonds; set aside.


FOR THE CAKE: 

Spray 10-inch tube pan with nonstick cooking spray. Whisk flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together in medium bowl; set aside. In stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment, beat butter, 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar, and lemon zest at medium speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes, scraping down sides and bottom of bowl with rubber spatula. 

Add eggs 1 at a time, beating well after each addition, about 20 seconds, and scraping down beater and sides of bowl as necessary. Add 4 teaspoons vanilla and mix to combine. 

Reduce speed to low and add one-third flour mixture, followed by half of sour cream, mixing until incorporated after each addition, 5 to 10 seconds. Repeat, using half of remaining flour mixture and all of remaining sour cream. Scrape bowl and add remaining flour mixture; mix at low speed until batter is thoroughly combined, about 10 seconds. 

Remove bowl from mixer and fold batter once or twice with rubber spatula to incorporate any remaining flour.

Reserve 1¼ cups batter and set aside. Spoon remaining batter into prepared pan and smooth top. Return now-empty bowl to mixer and beat cream cheese, remaining 5 tablespoons sugar, lemon juice, and remaining teaspoon vanilla on medium speed until smooth and slightly lightened, about 1 minute. Add ¼ cup reserved batter and mix until incorporated. 

Spoon cheese filling mixture evenly over batter, keeping filling about 1 inch from edges of pan; smooth top. 

Spread remaining cup reserved batter over filling and smooth top. With butter knife or offset spatula, gently swirl filling into batter using figure-8 motion, being careful to not drag filling to bottom or edges of pan. Firmly tap pan on counter 2 or 3 times to dislodge any bubbles. Sprinkle lemon sugar-almond topping evenly over batter and gently press into batter to adhere.

Bake until top is golden and just firm, and long skewer inserted into cake comes out clean (skewer will be wet if inserted into cheese filling), 45 to 50 minutes. Remove pan from oven and firmly tap on counter 2 or 3 times (top of cake may sink slightly). 

Cool cake in pan on wire rack 1 hour. Gently invert cake onto rimmed baking sheet (cake will be topping-side down); remove tube pan, place wire rack on top of cake, and invert cake sugar-side up. Cool to room temperature, about 1½ hours. Cut into slices and serve.

Leftovers should be stored in the refrigerator, covered tightly with plastic wrap. For optimal texture, allow the cake to return to room temperature before serving.

Easy Pina Colada Coffee Cake

1-1/2 cups Bisquick
1/2 cup Sugar
1 cup crushed pineapple, packed in fruit juice, drained, with 1/3 cup
liquid reserved
1/4 cup sour cream
2 tablespoons water
1 tsp coconut extract
1 tsp rum extract
2 TBS flaked coconut


Preheat oven to 375 degrees

Spray an 8x8 baking pan with butter-flavored cooking spray. In a
large bowl, combine the Bisquick and sugar. Add pineapple, reserved
pineapple juice, sour cream, and water. Mix gently just to combine.
Stir in coconut and rum extracts.

Evenly spread batter into prepared baking dish. Sprinkle coconut
evenly over the top.

Bake for 30 to 35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the
center comes out clean.

Place baking dish on a wire rack and let cool for at least 15
minutes.

Cut into 8 servings