So this is Sunday, March 20th (HaPPie BiRthDaY SiS!), and I am home so I've planned to try making CI's Cream Cheese Coffee Cake AGAIN. Again because the first time was a flop, while the cake was too dense it has good flavor, and we ate it all. It turned out that I didn't write the right measurements of baking soda and baking powder while I was watching the episode online.
So to make sure that I have the same cake that they showed on TV, I measured all my ingredients before I started mixing them together, my first time. I have always measure the ingredients as I read the directions.
So with all the ingredient measured out, and having made one before, I started to dumped ALL the sugar and butter in the mixer to start creaming but it just wouldn't. Reread the recipe, sad, contemplated to continue with the mistake, sad, dumped the mix, uber sad, and remeasured my butter and sugar.
I was glad that I did not keep the mistake, as the coffee cake is all raised almost 50% more than the first attempt and taste great. The cream cheese and the lemon compliment each other, the almonds/sugar/lemon zest is heavenly, the texture of the cake is airy, even better than my favorite blueberry coffee cake.
I am still thinking what I could have done with that pile of sugar and butter although it's sitting in the trash.
Yoyo waiting for his dad to come home from his run.1/4 cup sugar, (I used turbinade sugar)
1 1/2 grated lemon zest
1/2 cup sliced almonds
Cake
2 1/4 cups (11.25 ounces) unbleached all-purpose flour
1 1/8 teasppons baking powder
1 1/8 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salk
10 tablesoons unsalted butter, softened but still cool
1 cup 2 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon finely grated zest
4 large eggs
4 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/4 cups sour cream
cream cheese mixture
8 ounces cream cheese, softened
5 tablespoons sugar
4 teaspoons lemon juice
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
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.
