Raspberry Almond Cream Cheese Coffee Cake

I love how children shed light on things by questioning what we adults sometimes don't think to question.  

Like why is a hamburger called a "hamburger" instead of a "beefburger"?

Or why is  a "step parent" called a "step" parent?

Or is he a 2nd cousin, or a cousin-in-law, or a cousin twice-removed,  and why?

Or why is coffee cake called "coffee cake" if it's not coffee-flavored?

I made this yummy coffee cake recently, that my friend, Haley introduced me to at church. 

When I made it I asked the kids if they wanted to try it, and Lainey said, “No, thanks, I don’t like coffee.”  

I said, “Oh no, there’s no coffee in it, it’s almond raspberry cream cheese! You love all of those things!”

To which she replied, “Then why is it called coffee cake?” 

I said, “Well, you eat it with coffee.”

"But I don't drink coffee."

"True, but you don't have to drink coffee with it, you just could."

“Why?”, she asked. 

“Because it’s like breakfast cake, kinda, I guess, or afternoon cake with coffee…you know, I am not sure.  It’s kinda confusing, huh?”

So I did what any good mom would do.  I googled:  “Origin of Coffee Cake”.

And here’s what I discovered:

According to Wikipedia: (bold my addition)

Coffee cake is a common cake or sweetbread available in many countries.  The term “coffee cake” can refer to any of the following: 

A class of cakes intended to be eaten alongside coffee (for example, as part of a breakfast meal) or that may be eaten during a “coffee break” or offered to guests as a gesture of hospitality on or around a coffee table.  Under this definition, a coffee cake does not necessarily contain coffee.  They are typically single layer cakes that may be square or rectangular like a Stollen or loaf shaped rectangular cakes, or they may be ring shaped.   Coffee cakes may be flavored with cinnamon or other spices, seeds, nuts and fruits.  These cakes sometimes have a crumbly or crumb topping called streusel and/or light glaze drizzle.

Since I love coffee, and would choose to drink it morning, mid day and evening.  I could, by this definition, eat this cake 3 times a day! Fabulous! 

And since this definition doesn’t narrow down things very much, my suggestion is that we come up with a definition of what’s NOT a coffee cake. 

A coffee cake is a cake that is NOT covered with thick frosting, served at a wedding or with candles on top for a birthday. Pretty much, that’s what’s I surmise is not a coffee cake.  Most everything else could potentialy qualify.  

This coffee cake is one of the yummiest I have ever had.  The day Haley brought it to church,  I tasted a sliver, and proceeded to walk around the crowd, asking people if they knew who made this cake!? I found out it was Haley and in the next few minutes, people started asking me about the cake – if I knew who made it!  By the end of the morning, 3 or 4 of us had requested the recipe.  She said she got it from a Cookbook from her daughter's school.  My mom has a theory that church cookbooks/school/neighborhood cookbooks, etc. where people submit their favorite and best recipes, you find winning dishes.  Individuals have taken their best, tried and true recipes, and put their name beside it and put them in the cookbook.  This qualifies.

 It’s like an almond crumble cake– meets a raspberry cream cheese danish.

Raspberry Almond CreamCheese Coffee Cake

 

2 1/4 cups flour

3/4 cup sugar

3/4 cup butter, cold and diced into pieces

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

3/4 cup sour cream

1 tsp almond extract

1 egg

8 oz softened cream cheese

1/4 cup sugar

1 egg

 

1/2 cup raspberry preserves (I prefer a little more than this)

1/2 cup sliced almonds

Preheat 350. Grease and flour 10" spring form pan.

Combine flour and ¾ cup sugar; cut in butter to make coarse crumb. Reserve 1 cup crumb mixture. To remaining crumbs add baking powder, baking soda, salt, sour cream, almond extract and egg. Blend well. Spread over bottom and 2 inches up sides of pan.

Combine cream cheese, 1/4 cup sugar and 1 egg. Blend well. Pour into batter prepared pan. Carefully spoon preserves over batter. Combine reserved crumbs and almonds and sprinkle over preserves. Bake 45-55 minutes; or until cream cheese is set and crust is golden.

So if you have a need for a sweet treat for breakfast with coffee, or for "coffee break" (if your workplace has those), or to serve at your coffee table, I highly recommend this one.  

(Oh, and this almond shortbread,  and almond poundcake, or this gorilla bread, or plum cake,  or apple cake,  or lemon berry poundcake , and my go-to-sour cream poundcake.  I think these all might qualify for coffee cake! )

Orange-Almond Shortbread & a Cup of Tea

I love coffee.

It is the gift of my mornings when I first wake up.

It is a reward in the evening sometimes for me.

It is a favorite treat to enjoy with a friend.  It is comfort on a cold, winter day.

I love the richness, the warmth, the depth, the boost!

And then there is hot tea.  I like it. I do.

But I don’t LOVE it.  Not like coffee. Though, I am trying to love it.

I am trying, because I know it is good for me.

I know that it is far better to drink hot tea throughout a cold, winter day than coffee.
And on a winter day, I like to have a warm drink in my hand as often as I can.

I guess it's just that I prefer the strong, bold flavor of coffee to a weaker, blander hot tea. 

But there are some types that I really enjoy – ones with depth to them. Republic of Tea is my favorite line of teas.  Ginger Peach is a winner.  And I like Mango and Blackberry.   Good Earth Tea is yummy, when I'm in a spicy mood.

And tea parties with my girls help me to love tea.

I mean how could they not?  

We had this tea party the other day.  It was one of those cold and gray days.  We made Peach tea with Honey and a "spot of cream". (My girls really would like spoons full of sugar and honey.  I try to tell them that they serve the same purpose in sweetening, but they really want double-sweet).  At our tea party,  I asked them what they thought we should talk about.

I wondered to myself, "What are you supposed to talk about at a tea party?"

So, I decided to pose the question: "What is your favorite season and why?"

It was a fun conversation.  The girls both quickly responded that summer was their favorite because there was a break from school, and they got to swim at the pool, and Lainey loves summer clothing (she likes that she can wear a swim suit or tank top and flip flops everyday). I said my favorite seasons are fall and spring.  Fall used to be my favorite, but in the past few years, spring has taken first place.  After a bleak winter, the relief of spring, (the sunshine and blooming of flowers, trees and grass) is so very needed that spring wins as the best!

This defense made them rethink their choice. So, they decided they loved spring, and fall, and winter for many different reasons.

Our fun conversation made the tea even tastier.

The other thing that makes me really enjoy hot tea is a nice piece (or 2) of homemade Almond-Orange Shortbread to go along with it!

Butter.

A little salt.

Some powdered sugar.

The zest of an orange.
Almond extract.

Sliced almonds.

Yum. Yum. Yum and yum!

It is easy to mix together and, after freezing, it is simply "slice and bake"! The cookies keep well for a couple of weeks in a container on the counter, to have whenever you put the kettle on for tea.

Also, they are a nice treat for people who don't want a sweet-sweet dessert (like the chocolate sheet cake I posted last week)!

If you aren't so keen on the sliced almonds, you
can omit them or substitute another ingredient in place of them.  If you don't
love a hint of orange in your shortbread, you can
omit or substitute that as well.  The basic shortbread
recipe is worth making.

The recipe is from Martha Stewart, so you know
it's got to be good!

These also go well with a hot cup of coffee.  That is, if you're one of those people.


Almond-Orange Shortbread
2 sticks butter, room temperature
1 cup powdered sugar
3/4 tsp. almond extract
1/2 tsp. salt (use a little less if using unsalted butter)
2 cups all-purpose flour (spooned and leveled)
Grated zest of 1 orange
3/4 cup sliced almonds

In mixing bowl, beat butter, sugar, extract, and salt until smooth.
Mix on low speed, add flour and zest.
Mix just until dough forms.
With spatula or hands, mix in almonds gently.

Form dough into a rectangular log (12 inches long, by 3 inches wide, and 1 inch thick)
Wrap log in waxed paper.
Freeze until firm (at least an hour and up to 3 months).
If freezing longer than a day, double wrap the log in plastic wrap and a ziploc bag

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.  Remove dough from freezer. (If it has been in the freezer a long time, let it sit at room temperature 30 minutes so it slices without crumbling).

With a sharp knife, cut dough into 1/4 inch thick slices.
Place flat on un-greased baking sheet, or baking stone at least 1 inch apart.
Bake until edges begin to turn golden - 20 minutes or so.
Cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes. Transfer cookies to rack to cool completely.

  

 

The End of the Pits

I have a thing for kitchen tools.  I really like them.  Garlic presses, zesters, kitchen scissors, measuring cups... In fact, for my birthday and Christmas, I usually get some kind of kitchen tool as a gift from my family.

Some gadgets you have in a drawer and never use.  They are not worth the space they are taking up in your drawer, and hardly worth having to wash when you've used them.  Others you use everyday.  Then there are those that you don't use often, but when you do it's so helpful that nothing else could do what it does.

the amazing pitter

My cherry pitter falls into the 3rd category!
Do you have one?
Have you ever used one?

It's genius! When I pull it out to use it –people are wowed!  It's simple, inexpensive, it takes very little drawer space and with the squeeze of your hand you can have a pitted fresh cherry.  And as special as cherries are,  cherries with pits are a challenge to reckon with – unless you enjoy the eating and spitting activity. (Which I do, given the right time and setting).

When you have cherries with the pits removed you can put them in a fruit salad, or make a pie, or chop them up for a topping on a meat dish.  You can find one at a kitchen store for about $10. (Ours is the oxo brand that my mom got at Bed, Bath and Beyond a few years ago).  You ought to consider buying one, if you love fresh cherries.

Lucy is really into cherries and is actually a very skilled pitter with this handy dandy gadget, especially considering that she is 3 years old.

My friend Melissa (the florist) was coming over for our women's prayer group the other night and was in charge of bringing a goody.  A few minutes before group she texted to tell me that she was on her way and asked if she could use my pitter for cherries for her dessert.  "Of course" was my reply and in a few minutes she arrived with a delightful Almond Shortcake, freshly whipped cream and fresh cherries.  We oohed and ahhed. She said our friend, Beth, who gave her the recipe serves it with blackberries.  Both sound amazing to me.

The Almond Shortcake is like a huge, puffy, almond sugar cookie with toasted almonds on top with a crunchy edge.  There is something so simple, yet elegant about this shortbread and it is de-li-cious! It seemed like the Shortcake and the cherries complemented each other so well.  Don't you think almonds and cherries often do that?

Almond Shortcake

1 cup sugar

1/4 cup (4 Tbsp) unsalted butter

2 eggs

2 tsp almond extract

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 cup all-purpose flour

For topping:

1 Tbsp sugar

1 Tbsp sliced almonds

Preheat oven to 350º

Cream the sugar and butter

Mix in almond and vanilla extracts

Mix in eggs, one at a time

Mix in flour until combined

Pour into a greased 9" pie pan

Top with sugar and sliced almonds

Bake for 20-25 minutes until lightly browned on edges and a toothpick comes out clean.

Top with whipped cream and fresh fruit: berries or cherries or peaches. 

Cherries have been on sale the past few weeks here – so it has been time for cherries at our house.  And the pitter has hardly made it to the drawer, as it has been in constant use.  So, go get yourself a pitter or add it to your wish list!

Eeny, Meeny, Miny, Moe

December is such an odd month in my kitchen and in my culinary-mind.  I am a college professor, so December is a wild month with the end of classes, grading papers, administering exams and then more grading.. all while celebrating Advent and Christmas gift buying and celebrating my son’s birthday and baking and gift making!  I have never blogged in December, since this is my first year at this endeavor so I am a little overwhelmed about how to approach it.  So much to write, so much to bake, so little time to edit, photograph, and difficult to know what you’d want to hear about. 

This past week I made an Almond Cake, Spicy Vegetarian Chili, and homemade salsa-  that I’ve wanted to tell you about but I have been busy teaching and grading.  And then last night I made my peppermint bark and mint brownies, and some tangy balsamic vinaigrette dressing for a salad, all of which I want to share with you. This coming week I will be hosting my students in my home for a couple of end-of-the-semester-celebrations and will be baking for some of those. Asher’s birthday is Thursday and he’s already putting in his requests for his goodies:  "a giant chocolate chip cookie…no, a strawberry cake (his usual choice), no, a red velvet cake, no, a pound cake, no, frozen chocolate covered bananas, no, an ice cream cake"!

So, I have a lot going on in my mind and in my kitchen that I want to pass along but am trying to figure out what and how and when. Regardless, I am thankful that there is someone out there to tell about all of these yummy endeavors and to share my mess-ups, successes and ideas. 

I think for today I will give you Almond Cake.  We’ll start at the beginning of last week.

Do you like almond flavoring? I love it!  I have a few friends who love it too: Sara Beth, Amy G., Amy J., Melissa B., Melissa S., Gretchen, Patsy…the list goes on and on.  I think we might should consider forming an Almond Fan Club.  Our club could meet monthly and we could just sit around and eat almond-y things and “ooh and ahh” over them.  We could start an online group forum for local clubs around the country, the world! Okay, I am getting carried away.

Well, a new almond recipe recently entered my life and I just have to share it with you!  This almond cake was brought by my friend Kelly to the flower arranging DIY class, which I hosted earlier in the fall (see post).  The cake was simple and familiar, yet elegant, unique and fragrant with almond!  I had to get the recipe and when I read the ingredients I realized this is really an Almond Pound Cake (meaning it has 2 sticks of butter and tons of sugar)!  No wonder I like it so much. 

Almond cake and pastry filling

It also has an ingredient I didn’t even know existed! Almond cake and pastry filling. I know, crazy huh? It is in the baking section beside the Apple Pie filling at the grocery and it was available in my local Kroger, much to my surprise.  It is basically ground almonds in a goopy filling.  It is strange looking but has a pretty amazing effect!  I can’t really imagine a pie made out of it…like substitute the cherry pie filling for almond and voila an almond pie!?  I think I’ll keep it in the cake for now.  However I never say never.

I emailed Kelly to get her permission to post the recipe and asked for the back-story.  I love a story behind a recipe, don't you?  She said her mother has made it since Kelly was a child and they loved to eat it for breakfast!  The recipe came to her mother from a Jewish friend whose family served the cake at special occasions, like when their children had their very first haircuts.  How great is that?  Thank you Kelly. Thank you Kelly’s mom. Thank you Kelly’s mom’s friend. Enjoy!