23 October 2014

Cinnamon-Nut Coffee Cake - Easy Danish Dough

Coffee Cake / www.delightfulrepast.com

When I hear Coffee Cake, I instantly picture a yeast dough coffee cake. And since I was recently experimenting with Danish pastry (laminated yeast dough), of course I decided to use that for my coffee cake. And it was grrrrreat!

Just as I usually opt for my Ruff Puff over regular puff pastry that takes so much longer, I will probably make my Easy Danish Dough far more often than the time-consuming regular version. It's so easy to just stir it up a day or two before you need it, then do the "turns" (rolling and folding) the next day.

Sure, even the Easy Danish Dough is a bit more work than just the regular yeast dough you could use for this, but it is so worth it if you are a fan of flakiness and appreciate that little something extra.

If you just want to make one coffee cake, go ahead and make the full dough recipe and refrigerate or freeze half for another day; and make a half recipe of the filling and glaze. I know it's called coffee cake, but it is fabulous with a nice cup of tea!



Coffee Cake Slice / www.delightfulrepast.com

Cinnamon-Nut Coffee Cake 


(Makes 2 cakes)

The Dough

2 1/2 dip-and-sweep cups (12.5 oz/355 g) unbleached all-purpose flour
1/4 cup (1.75 oz/50 g) sugar
2 teaspoons instant yeast
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 sticks (6 oz/170 g) unsalted butter, cold, cut into 1/2-inch cubes 

1/2 cup (4 fl oz/120 g or ml) milk, room temperature
1/4 cup (2 fl oz/60 g or ml) water, room temperature
1 large egg, room temperature
1/2 dip-and-sweep cup (2.5 oz/70 g) unbleached all-purpose flour

The Filling

6 tablespoons (3 oz/85 g) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup finely chopped pecans or walnuts
2 tablespoons unbleached all-purpose flour
1/2 cup sugar
1 tablespoon cinnamon
Pinch of salt

The Glaze

1/2 cup powdered sugar
1 tablespoon very hot water
1 tablespoon real maple syrup

1 In large bowl whisk together flour, sugar, yeast and salt. Stir in the cold chunks of butter, squishing them a bit with your fingers to distribute through the flour.

2 In small bowl whisk together milk, water and egg. Stir the liquid mixture into the flour to form a very sticky wet dough, chunky with butter. Cover and refrigerate for at least 8 hours or up to 2 days.

3 Measure out the 1/2 cup flour to use on surface and for rolling out dough. Turn dough out onto lightly floured surface. Sprinkle lightly with flour and pat into a square shape. With rolling pin, roll it into a 16-inch square. Fold it in thirds, like a business letter, and roll into about a 10x16-inch rectangle. Fold in thirds.


Note: You'll need a bench scraper for the first few turns, as it's pretty messy at that point--not like the smooth dough it eventually turns into (see below)! 


Easy Danish Dough / www.delightfulrepast.com

Repeat twice. Wrap in plastic and refrigerate for about 45 minutes.

5 Roll the chilled dough into a 16-inch square and fold into thirds, like a business letter, then in thirds again to make a square.

6 Repeat twice. Wrap in plastic and refrigerate for about 45 minutes or up to 2 days.

7 Make filling. Stir together nuts, flour, sugar, cinnamon and salt.

8 When ready to make coffeecake(s), cut the dough into 2 pieces. While working with the first one, chill the second one. If making just one cake, double wrap the second half of dough and refrigerate for up to 2 days or freeze for up to a month.

9 Roll one piece of dough into a 13- to 14-inch square. Spread on half the softened butter and half the filling mixture, leaving a 1-inch border all around. Starting with edge nearest you, roll rather tightly and pinch the edge closed. The roll should end up being at least 18 inches long; if it is shorter, just press and roll until it is 18 inches. Coil in buttered or sprayed 8-inch round baking dish or cake tin. Press lightly. Cover lightly with sprayed plastic wrap and let stand at room temperature for 3 hours, until puffy (not doubled). Repeat with other half of dough.



Unbaked Coffee Cake / www.delightfulrepast.com

10 Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Bake at 350 degrees for about 35 minutes.

11 Let the coffee cake(s) cool about 20 minutes; make glaze. Whisk together powdered sugar and hot water until smooth; whisk in maple syrup. Drizzle over cake(s). 

24 comments:

Sippity Sup said...

You're much better at yeasty things than I. Could you call this a simplified brioche dough? I've always been struck by the similarities of Danish and Brioche (bready parts) GREG

Jean | DelightfulRepast.com said...

Thanks, Greg! I think the two doughs have similar flavor but a little different texture. More eggs in brioche. You're not really going for the layers with the brioche, so I'd say the Danish dough is more like croissants. But I'm a breadaholic, so it's ALL good! :D

Richard Sheppard said...

What else can I say? That looks insanely good!

Jean | DelightfulRepast.com said...

And, Richard, what else can *I* say? It IS insanely good, even if I do say so myself! :D

Melissa AuClair said...

I've been stuck making the same old coffee cake for forever! I made a pumpkin coffee cake a few weekends back that was o.k. But yours looks drop dead gorgeous! Right when I saw the picture, I knew I was smitten :)

Jean | DelightfulRepast.com said...

Aaaw, Melissa, thank you so much! I hope you'll make it soon and that it will meet your expectations!

Linda Kay said...

Well, I have my coffee, but I would really like a bit of that coffee cake! Thanks for sharing your experience with the results as well as the recipe.

Jean | DelightfulRepast.com said...

Linda, thank you! I'm glad you enjoyed the post. Wish I could offer you a slice, but I gave the last one to a very appreciative friend last evening!

Angie's Recipes said...

I have my tea ready, now all I need is one piece of your nutty pastry cake. It looks incredible, Jean.

Bethany Carson said...

Looks delicious!

Jean | DelightfulRepast.com said...

Thanks, Angie. I can't wait to make it again!

Jean | DelightfulRepast.com said...

Bethany, thanks! Hope you'll try it soon.

Poppy said...

Hi Jean,

So lovely to meet you!

Your cinnamon-nut coffee cake looks and sounds scrumptious! Coffee cake always brings back memories of my sweet childhood in my native Canada, and yours has made me a little homesick for all those autumn delights!!

Happy weekend!

Poppy
P.S.:Thanks so much for visiting Poppy View and hope to see you again, soon!

Jean | DelightfulRepast.com said...

Poppy, thank you! We love Canada, too; way overdue for another visit.

Sully said...

I’m looking…looking – nope…where is the mention of BUTTER? Coffee cake, coffee cake, another sponge for butter. And I do love it, particularly if it is impregnated with cinnamon and caramelized brown sugar are similar. And hot. Must be hot (so the butter melts). Hot cross buns. I guess anything in that general configuration gets called “coffeecake” in my personal thesaurus. PS I’m also fascinated by that police baton rolling pin you use…

Jean | DelightfulRepast.com said...

Thanks, Sully! Even though there is plenty of butter IN it, some of us definitely like to slather a little extra ON it. If you like that rolling pin, you should see one of my others, Big Mama, huge and heavy, it could do some major damage!

Michelle said...

Jean, that looks really wonderful. I love to cook, but baking is my nemesis. I am a big chicken when it comes to baking. I hardly ever do anything but things that are very basic because I have had so many baking mishaps. This looks so delicious though, I may have to give it a try! Thank you so much for sharing it with us at Foodie Fridays! Pinning and stumbling!

Jean | DelightfulRepast.com said...

Thanks, Michelle. You sound like one of my friends. She says there are cooks and there are bakers and that she's a cook. It's better that way, really -- you can't live just eating baked goods!

Bintu @ Recipes From A Pantry said...

This is the sort of case that I am always dreaming of making but I am never brave enough. Thankfully I can come to your blog and dream about it.

Jean | DelightfulRepast.com said...

Thank you so much, Bintu! I hope you'll visit again; I post every Thursday.

Anonymous said...

Hi Jean and thanks so much for your visit and kind words. Oh this looks divine. The cooler weather makes recipes like this taste so good. Wishing you a wonderful evening.

Jean | DelightfulRepast.com said...

Thanks, Mildred! I'm just going to relax this evening and have an easy dinner.

Maureen | Orgasmic Chef said...

That is an outstanding coffee cake. I think I'll have BOTH coffee and tea so I could have two pieces.

I'm going to try this dough - I can't resist.

Jean | DelightfulRepast.com said...

Thanks so much, Maureen! Let me know how you like it!