Why this recipe works Why buy inferior boxed versions when you can make a better coffee cake ring at home—one with buttery layers of dough, a sweet almond filling, and a smooth glaze? Most yeasted coffee cakes rely on an enriched dough made with milk, butter, and eggs. Because we were filling this cake with a sweet, rich almond filling, we wanted to encase it in something a bit lighter. To that end, we cut the butter used in most recipes in half. We figured we’d sweeten our dough with granulated sugar or brown sugar, as most recipes we researched do. But once we tested other options, we found that honey gave the cake a slight caramel flavor and also added welcome moisture to the dough. For the filling, most recipes bolster cream cheese with ground almonds and sugar, but this made a soft mixture that leaked out of the dough. Worse, the almond flavor was barely perceptible. We had better luck with almond paste. When we mixed the almond paste with a little cream cheese, it formed a luxurious filling that was thick enough to stay put in the dough. Perhaps even more important, it had a rich, nutty flavor that wasn’t obscured by the dough. If the dough becomes too soft to work with at any point, refrigerate it until it’s firm enough to easily handle.
MAKES: 2 cakes
RISING TIME: 2½ to 3½ hours
BAKING TIME: 25 minutes
TOTAL TIME: 5 to 6 hours
KEY EQUIPMENT: stand mixer, 2 rimmed baking sheets, rolling pin, pastry brush
INGREDIENTS:
FOR THE FILLING
- 1 tube (7 ounces) almond paste, cut into 4 pieces
- 4 ounces cream cheese, softened
- ½ cup (2 ounces) confectioners’ sugar
FOR THE DOUGH
- 4¾ cups (23¾ ounces) all-purpose flour
- 2¼ teaspoons instant or rapid-rise yeast
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 1⅓ cups (10⅔ ounces) whole milk, room temperature
- 8 tablespoons (4 ounces) unsalted butter, melted
- ⅓ cup (4 ounces) honey
- 3 large egg yolks
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
FOR THE TOPPING
- 2 large eggs, lightly beaten with 2 tablespoons water and pinch salt
- ½ cup sliced almonds
- 1½ cups (6 ounces) confectioners’ sugar
- 2 ounces cream cheese, softened
- 2 tablespoons whole milk
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
INSTRUCTIONS:
- For the filling, using a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat almond paste, cream cheese, and sugar on medium speed until smooth, about 1 minute. Transfer the mixture to a bowl, cover it, and refrigerate until ready to use.
- For the dough, whisk flour, yeast, and salt together in a clean, dry mixer bowl. In a 4-cup liquid measuring cup, whisk milk, melted butter, honey, egg yolks, and vanilla until the honey has dissolved. Using the dough hook attachment on low speed, slowly add the milk mixture to the flour mixture and mix until a cohesive dough starts to form and no dry flour remains, about 2 minutes, scraping down the bowl as needed. Increase the speed to medium-low and knead until the dough is smooth, elastic, and clears the sides of the bowl but sticks to the bottom, about 8 minutes.
- Transfer the dough to a lightly floured counter and knead it by hand to form a smooth, round ball, about 30 seconds. Place the dough seam side down in a lightly greased large bowl or container, cover tightly with plastic wrap, and let it rise until doubled in size, for about 1½ to 2 hours.
- Line 2 rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper. Transfer the dough to a lightly floured counter, divide it in half, and cover each piece loosely with greased plastic. Press and roll one piece of dough into an 18 by 9-inch rectangle, keeping the remaining piece covered, with the long side parallel to the counter edge.
- Spread half of the filling into a 1-inch-wide strip above the bottom edge of the dough, leaving a 1-inch border at the bottom. Roll the dough away from you into a firm cylinder, keeping the roll taut by tucking it under itself as you go. Pinch the seam closed.
- Transfer the cylinder seam side down to the prepared baking sheet. Bring the ends snug together to form a ring and pinch the seam closed. Repeat this process with the remaining dough and filling.
- Using kitchen shears or a sharp knife, make 10 cuts around the outside of the dough, nearly but not all the way through the loaf, spaced 1½ inches apart. Twist each section cut side up. Cover the loaves loosely with greased plastic and let them rise until the rings are nearly doubled in size and the dough springs back minimally when poked gently with your knuckle, for about 1 to 1½ hours. (If the dough rings haven’t risen yet, you can refrigerate them for at least 8 hours or up to 12 hours. Let them sit at room temperature for 1 hour before baking. Alternatively, if the rings have fully risen, you can wrap them tightly with greased plastic, followed by aluminum foil, and freeze them for up to 1 month. Let the frozen rings thaw in the refrigerator for 12 hours, then let them sit at room temperature for 1 hour before baking.)
- For the topping, adjust the oven racks to the upper-middle and lower-middle positions and preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Gently brush the dough rings with the egg mixture and sprinkle them with almonds. Bake the cakes until they are deep golden brown, for about 25 minutes, switching and rotating the sheets halfway through baking. Let the cakes cool on the sheet for 1 hour. Meanwhile, whisk sugar, cream cheese, milk, and vanilla together in a bowl until smooth. Drizzle the glaze over the cakes and serve them warm or at room temperature.
VARIATION:
APRICOT-ORANGE RING COFFEE CAKE
- Omit almond filling. Bring 2 cups dried apricots, 1 cup water, and 3 tablespoons sugar to simmer in medium saucepan over medium heat and cook, stirring occasionally, until apricots are soft and water has nearly evaporated, 16 to 18 minutes. Process apricots, 3 tablespoons grated orange zest, 3 tablespoons orange juice, and 2 tablespoons rum (optional) in food processor until smooth, about 1 minute, scraping down bowl as needed. Transfer mixture to bowl and let cool to room temperature. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until ready to use.
