Russian Coffee Cake
Recipe courtesy of Gloria Barreto, Pastry Chef, BallenIsles Country Club (Palm Beach Gardens, Fla.)
Ingredients
- Ingredients for the dough:
- warm milk - 1 cup
- eggs - 2 ea., beaten
- honey - 2 Tbsps.
- unsalted butter - 1 cup
- all-purpose flour - 4 cups
- sugar - .5 cup
- active dry yeast - 2 tsps.
- salt - 1 tsp.
- Ingredients for the almond filling:
- almond paste - 1 lb.
- sugar - 1 cup
- unsalted butter - 1 lb., room temperature
- vanilla cake crumbs - 1-2 cups
- water - 1 cup
- cinnamon - 1 Tbsp.
- Ingredients for the cinnamon filling:
- light brown sugar - 2 cups
- walnuts - 2 cups
- raisins - 2 cups
- cinnamon - 3 Tbsps.
- Ingredients for the glaze (optional):
- powdered sugar - 1 cup
- milk - 2 Tbsps.
- vanilla extract - 5 tsp.
Instructions
Procedure for the Dough:
- In a large bowl, dissolve the yeast in warm milk and let it sit for about 5 minutes until it becomes frothy.
- Add the sugar, honey soft butter, salt, and eggs to the yeast mixture. Mix well.
- Gradually add the flour, mixing until the dough starts to come together.
- Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic, about 8-10 minutes.
- Place the dough in a greased bowl, cover, and let it rise in a warm place until doubled in size, about 1 hour.
Procedure for the Filling:
- In a small bowl, mix almond paste and sugar until it looks like sand. Then add the soft butter, followed by the cake crumbs and water.
- Once the dough has risen, punch it down and roll it out on a floured surface into a large rectangle about ½-inch thick.
- Spread the filling (almond filling and cinnamon filling )evenly over the dough, leaving a small margin at the edges.
- Roll the dough up tightly, starting from one long edge, to form a log.
- Join the ends of the log to form a circle and place it on a greased baking sheet or in a greased round baking pan.
- Cover and let it rise again until nearly doubled, about 30 minutes.
Procedure for the Russian Coffee Cake:
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C).
- Bake the cake for 30- 45 minutes, or until golden brown.
Procedure for the Glaze (if desired):
- While the cake bakes, whisk together the powdered sugar, milk (or coffee) and vanilla until smooth.
- Drizzle the glaze over the warm cake.
