I have to admit it: I am an addict…a coffee addict!
I am one of those suckers that you see in line at Starbucks almost every morning waiting for my daily fix. I think that is why I like coffee cake so much, any excuse for more coffee is fine by me.
Anytime I see a new recipe for coffee cake I gotta try it out… and this one came through my email box this week: Cream Cheese Coffee Cake.
Although I seem to associate coffee cake more with fall and winter, this coffee cake has a delicate lemon twist that makes it perfect for spring. A lemony sugar almond topping adds crunchy sweetness while the addition of a lemony cream cheese filling swirled throughout the cake gives it a moist, tangy flavor sure to please any coffee cake aficionado.
Here is how you can make your own:
You can find the entire recipe and helpful video here. Start by preheating the oven to 350. Spray a 10″ tube pan with Pam and set aside.
Lemon-Sugar Almond Topping: Mix the sugar and lemon zest (I also added a little lemon extract for more flavor) until completely moistened and combined. Stir in the sliced almonds and set aside.
Cake: Whisk flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a medium bowl and set aside.
In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together the butter, lemon zest and 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar until fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time beating well in between each egg.
Add the vanilla extract (I also added some lemon extract) and mix until combined. Add one-third of the flour mixture and half the sour cream, beating until combined, repeat using the remaining flour and sour cream.
Give the batter one last mix by hand with a rubber spatula and transfer 1 1/4 cup batter to a bowl. Set aside. Spoon remaining batter into prepared pan. Set pan aside.
Cream Cheese Filling: In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment cream together the cream cheese, 5 tablespoons sugar, lemon juice, vanilla extract (I added a little lemon extract) and mix until smooth.
Add 1/4 cup of the reserved batter to the mixture and beat until combined. Spoon the filling on top of the batter in pan keeping the filling an inch from edges of pan.
Spread remaining cup of batter over filling and smooth with spatula. Sprinkle topping over batter and press down lightly to adhere.
Bake cake for 45 to 50 minutes or until a skewer inserted into cake comes out clean. Let cake cool in pan for one hour before inverting onto a dish and then upright onto a wire rack to cool completely.
When cake is completely cooled to room temperature, around 1 1/2 hours, cut into slices and serve.
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