Coffeecake

This is not your ordinary coffee cake. It's made with yeast, along with a lot of butter, which produces a light yet rich cake. I love that the cake looks like a huge cinnamon roll and the cake is so rich and flaky it reminds me of a croissant. A thick coating of streusel tops off the cake--making it an irresistible treat!

The dough and topping can be made a day ahead and then baked the next morning, which would make a wonderful breakfeast or brunch treat. I doubled the amount of the streusel called for in the original recipe since I LOVE a thick coating of streusel! This cake goes great with a cup of coffee and my husband really enjoyed his cake dipped in his coffee. I meant to add a icing to this cake but forgot. The cake was sweet enough without the icing due to the streusel, but feel free to add the icing if you want!

Although the directions are written for a stand mixer, a hand mixer works fine (I don't have a stand mixer).

Rich Coffeecake

Serves 10

Adapted from Baking Illustrated via Brown Eyed Baker

Coffeecake Dough:

1 envelope instant yeast
1/8 cup warm water (about 110 degrees)
1/4 cup sugar
2 large eggs
1 tablespoon milk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 1/8 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon salt
8 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 1-inch pieces and softened but still cool


Streusel Topping:
2/3 cup packed light or dark brown sugar
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
10 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into 16 pieces

Icing (optional):
1 1/2 cups confectioners’ sugar, sifted
7 teaspoons milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Egg Wash:
1 large egg
1 teaspoon milk

For the Dough: Sprinkle the yeast over the warm water in the bowl of a standing mixer; stir to dissolve. Add the sugar, eggs, milk, and vanilla; attach the paddle and mix at the lowest speed until well combined. Add 1 1/2  cups of the flour and the salt, mixing at low speed until the flour is incorporated, about 1 minute. Increase the speed to medium-low and add the butter pieces 1 at a time, beating until incorporated, about 20 seconds after each addition (total mixing time should be about 5 minutes). Replace the paddle with the dough hook and add the remaining 1 1/8 cup flour; knead at medium-low speed until soft and smooth, about 5 minutes longer. Increase the speed to medium and knead until the dough tightens up slightly, about 2 minutes longer.

Scrape the dough (which will be too soft to pick up with your hands) into a lightly oiled bowl using. Cover the container tightly with plastic wrap and let the dough rise at warm room temperature until doubled in size, 3 to 4 hours. Press down the dough, replace the plastic, and refrigerate until thoroughly chilled, at least 4 or up to 24 hours. Alternatively, for a quick chill, spread the dough about 1 inch thick on a baking sheet, cover with plastic, and refrigerate until thoroughly chilled, about 2 hours (this is what I did and it worked fine).

When you are ready to shape the coffeecake, remove the chilled dough from the refrigerator and turn it out onto a lightly floured work surface.
Shape the dough into a log about 8 inches long and 2 inches in diameter. Using your outstretched hands, roll the log evenly into a 40-inch rope about 1 inch in diameter.

With your fingers together, gently press the log to flatten slightly into a 1½-inch-wide strip.
 
Using both hands, twist the rope.
 
Loosely coil the rope in a spiral pattern, leaving a ¼-inch space between coils. Tuck the end under and pinch to secure. Place the coil on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet and cover with plastic wrap.
 
Proof until slightly puffed (they will not increase in volume as dramatically as a leaner bread dough), 1½ to 2 hours. (After this final rise, the unbaked cakes can be refrigerated overnight and baked the next morning.)


For the Egg Wash: Beat the egg and cream in a small bowl until combined.

Adjust an oven rack to the middle position and heat the oven to 350 degrees F.  Brush egg wash evenly over the exposed dough. Sprinkle the top evenly with the streusel. Slide the baking sheet onto a second baking sheet to prevent the bottom crust from overbrowning and bake until deep golden brown and/or an instant-read thermometer inserted in the center of the cake reads 190 degrees F, 25 to 30 minutes. Slide the parchment with the coffeecake onto a wire rack and cool at least 20 minutes. Drizzle the cake with the icing (if desired) and serve.

For the Streusel:
Mix the brown and granulated sugars, flour, cinnamon, and salt in a small bowl. Add the butter and toss to coat. Pinch the butter chunks and dry mixture between your fingertips until the mixture is crumbly. Chill thoroughly before using.

For the Icing:
Whisk all the ingredients in a medium bowl until smooth.