We're a little embarrassed to write about this coffee cake today. Not because it wasn't good - because it was. Crazy good, in fact! No, we're sheepish about how quickly we absolutely devoured the entire loaf...in about five minutes. Check out the gallery for the incriminating photo evidence.
In our defense, there were four of us doing the devouring and we were absolutely starving by the time it was finally shaped, baked, and cooled. Plus it was just really, extremely, ridiculously good.
The recipe comes from Flo Braker and her book Baking for All Occasions by way of Leite's Culinaria website. We were immediately attracted to the idea of thin sheets of sweet yeast bread fragrant with citrus and drizzled with cream cheese icing (for which we have a well-known weakness).
We found the recipe a bit difficult to follow in places, especially when it came to dividing the dough and assembling it into the sheets. The directions were specific to the point of confusion and after a few times reading them through, we just went with our gut instinct.
Soldiering through the recipe is well worth it, though! In the oven, the sugar packed between the layers bubbles up to create a crunchy crust over the top of the loaf. The bread puffs up, too, making irregular toasted peaks and tender buttery valleys. The whole house smelled of fresh bread, orange, and lemon. Is it any wonder that we could barely wait for it to cool before diving in?!
The bread tasted amazing. We hovered around the counter and pulled off leaf after the leaf of fresh baked bread. The middle was so soft that it practically melted in our mouths while the crust was cookie-like in its crispiness. The cream cheese glaze was literally the icing on the cake.
So. Put this recipe on your "make soon" list for sure. And definitely have a few friends around when it's ready because you don't want to be left alone with it, trust us!
A Few Extra Notes:
• We made the dough the night before and refrigerated it. The next morning, we cut the dough and shaped the loaf while it was still cold from the fridge. We think this helped make the dough easier to work with, plus it cut down on the waiting time in the morning!
• It was hard to tell when the loaf was actually finished. We baked it for 35 minutes until the top was golden brown, but the very center still had some raw dough. We'd recommend poking an instant-read thermometer into the middle - the loaf is done at around 200°. If the top is getting too browned, cover it with a sheet of aluminum foil.
• Let the loaf cool as long as possible in the pan. We took it out a little too early (we were hungry!) and it fell apart a little. It could have used more time for the sugar to set up and hold the sheets together.
• We thought the instructions for getting the loaf out of the pan were a little confusing. Here's what we did: run a knife between the loaf and the pan to dislodge it. Put an upside-down plate over the top of the loaf and flip both the loaf and the plate over so the loaf is upside down on top of the plate. Gently lift off the pan. Set another plate (or a wire rack) upside down on the loaf and invert it again so the loaf is right side up.
• Get the Recipe - Lemon-Scented Pull-Apart Coffee Cake from Leite's Culinaria
Related: Classy and Irresistible: 8 Very Tempting Bundt Cakes
(Images: Emma Christensen)
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That looks divinely delicious!
I know what I'm making this weekend!
Oh my. That looks fantastic and it sounds even better.
So you refrigerated the dough after the first rise?
@inblackink - Yup, I let the dough rise as normal, and then just covered the bowl with plastic wrap and put it in the fridge. The next morning, I took it out and shaped it while it was still cold from the fridge, and then let it warm up and rise in the pan.
@Bibliovore - What about just a regular sugar glaze? You mix powdered sugar and milk - start with 3/4 cup of powdered sugar and add the milk one tablespoon at a time until you get a consistency you like. You could also grate in some citrus zest!
#bibliovore I am dreaming of this with a lemon sugar glaze.
After I read this, I knew I had to make it tonight! I like to roll out dough on a sheet of freezer paper to cut down on clean up. Since these directions seemed so detailed, I drew on the freezer paper the dimensions and lines where I was supposed to cut. Have a visual really helped. Mine is in the oven now. Hope it's good!
I want to make this for a ski weekend breakfast, but I want to make it ahead. Do you think I should make the recipe all the way up to the part where you form the loaf and do the 2nd rise and then just refrigerate it and bake it the next day, or should I bake it at home and then just reheat it in the morning? I don't want to do any rolling or cutting or loaf making in the morning. I just want to throw it in the oven and eat it before heading out on the trails.
I've been trying for days to think of how to double this recipe, and I think I'll do it in an Angel Food pan. Then it'll come out as a ring!
Just made this and it's working on the second rise. For the record, the dough isn't hard to handle even without being refrigerated.
I'm tempted to try this assembled through the second rise but I think the sugar filling might dissolve in the fridge overnight. Any thoughts?
Success! I used regular yeast and just let it rise a little longer the first time around. It was delicious.
What a nightmare... The dough was tough, dry and difficult to roll out. Took almost 2 hrs to double in size and then again to rise after cutting and shaping in the pan. Mine came out looking ok but somewhat overcooked. The bread was not soft and melty. The flavor was OK, but not "devour in one sitting" tasty. Disappointed!
I loved this!! Just made it an my roommates and I are fans!! It was definitely a little time intensive, but worth it for a long weekend!!
I just want to check I understand the recipe - basically you roll out the dough cut it into 5 strips, layer the five strips up with the sugar mix in between, and then cut the single strip (but now 5 storeys high) into 6 pieces which you then wedge into a loaf pan?
I'm going to try this, but I'm wondering if it would make more sense to line the loaf pan - keeping the sugary goodness in the bread, making it easier to turn out, and possibly less messy for the icing part?
Or would lining the tin spoil the texture of the outside of the loaf?
Looked so good, but I unfortunately didn't have a great experience either. I blame myself, not the recipe, but wonder if you have any feedback? I followed the recipe exactly, but the bread was hard and not light at all. Should I have let it rise longer? Maybe the milk wasn't warm enough? I am not the greatest with yeast.
I also found it took almost an hour of cooking for the middle not to be raw. Perhaps this was my oven, though.
Thanks for any thoughts, love your site!
I think I'll try this when I get back home. Looks great!
OK.. this was AMAZING! Made it for a Mother's Day pot luck and it was the first dish gone.. No mas.. Finito!
I highly recommend using an oven thermometer for baking! This should clear up some of the comments regarding under/over cooking.
At first it appears difficult, but just follow the directions. It's not bad at all. Very much worth the effort!
We made it the night before and put it in the fridge over night. I pulled it out in the early morning to get down to room temp before serving. Granted, it was delicious (even more so if you put it in the microwave for a few seconds), BUT right out of the oven was mouth watering!!
Salud to whoever created this masterpiece!!
I made this yesterday, but am KICKING myself - i didnt hear the timer go off and it was much too overcooked. GRR!! the flavors were good though, i had to eat it covered in yogurt to make it moist :( I also made it with half the butter, subbed in wholemeal flour and the icing minus the cream cheese. YUM!
I made this yesterday for 5 other people plus myself. It was totally amazing and we devoured it!
I made it all in one day, it took roughly 3.5- 4 hours. I modified the recipe a little by putting the whole thing together and kneading in my stand mixer. I also used active dry yeast, so I heated the milk, butter, and water in the microwave until warm and then proofed the yeast for 10 mins before adding that to the mixer bowl with the dry ingredients.
It came out so well!