So, it's my roommate's birthday this weekend, and since I actually like this one, I figured it was high time to make a treat. Having taken a 5 hour afternoon nap (or as some of my friends would call it, an afternoon 'sleep'), I was pretty awake last night, so I decided to comb through my list of pending recipes. I had looked at this one a few times, and decided to give it a go, since I had everything I needed on hand (I love it when things work out like that).
I've simplified the ingredients list, so be sure to read through the recipe carefully.
Raspberry Cream Coffee Cake
Adapted from Food Wanderings in Asia
2 cups all purpose flour
1 cup sugar, divided
1/2 cup butter, cold and cut into chunks
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
3/4 cup Greek yogurt (plain or vanilla)
2 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
6oz cream cheese, room temperature
1/4 cup raspberry preserves
Preheat the oven to 350F. Grease the edges of a 9" springform pan. Beat the cream cheese at medium speed until smooth, about 30 seconds. Add 1/4 cup sugar and 1 egg and beat until just well combined. Do not overbeat. Set aside.
In a separate bowl, combine the flour and remaining 3/4 cup sugar. Cut in the butter with a pastry cutter (or 2 forks), until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Set aside 3/4 cup of this mixture. Add the baking soda and baking powder to the remaining flour mixture, and mix well.
In another bowl, combine the yogurt, 1 egg, and vanilla extract until well blended. Slowly incorporate into the flour mixture. The batter will be thick, like a loose cookie dough.
Pour the batter into the springform pan and spread, bringing it up the sides to form a shallow well in the center. Pour the cream cheese mixture into this well, being careful not to spread all the way to the edge of the pan. Heat the raspberry preserves in the microwave for about 20 seconds, then pour over the cream cheese mixture. Top with the reserved flour mixture. Bake for 50-55 minutes. Cool in pan for 20 minutes before removing the cake. Enjoy while warm, or store covered in the fridge for 2-3 days.
My Notes:
So I did make a few adjustments to the original recipe, notably using raspberry preserves instead of making strawberry jelly, but I like raspberries better anyway. I also didn't have a full block of cream cheese, so I just used 6 oz and it turned out fine... more than enough to fill the cake 'crust'.
A note about the butter. You want it to be cold, so I cut the butter into largish chunks, then put the flour, sugar, and butter into the freezer for about 10 minutes, while making the rest of the parts. I tried to use my immersion blender to mix in the butter, but the butter just stuck to the inside of the blender instead of dispersing through the batter. Then, I tried to do the two fork method, and it was just very difficult to do. Ultimately, I mixed it in with my hand, but you should be careful to keep the butter relatively cold if you do this method, as melted butter in the batter will disrupt the texture of the final product.
The verdict? This cake is amazing. My roommate was in heaven eating it (she got the first slice, of course), and I pretty much agreed with her verdict when I bit into it. I do think the cake was a little overdone along the edges, but that was due to my uncertainty over the goldenness of the crumble on top. Overall, a winner and something I will make again and again.
