Layered Almond Coffee Cake

Apple Coffee Cake

By Cat, Nov 2007 (Photo, right, from Wikimedia Commons)

• Includes: 1. Layered Almond Coffee Cake; 2. Pre-Soaked Whole Grain Variation
• See also: 1. Using a Springform Pan, and an Alternative; 2. Cakes & Tortes Menu;

Coffee cakes are amongst my favorites to make, mainly because they are not expected to be elegant. And they often contain healthful fillings including nuts, fruits, and creamy cheeses. However, they are also usually quite sweet, something I need to avoid, so I make mine using mostly stevia as the sweetener (but I provide the sugar equivalent, for those who want the real deal).

Coffee or tea cakes are common in many traditions: British Isles tea cakes, German Kuchen (for example my Butter Kuchen recipe), French “Danish” pastries, Danish Kringle or Wienerbrød, and many more traditions.

They may contain a filling or middle layer, a streusel (crumb) topping, nuts, fruits, and/or  spices or other flavorings like coffee or extracts.

Layered Almond Coffee Cake

This recipe is adapted from Daisy Brand recipes (1) website. I like Daisy sour cream and cottage cheese because they don’t contain fillers like guar gum, or any other weird ingredients. Just the ingredients you would use if you made the cultured product at home. While their products are not Organic, they do promise not to use milk with added hormones.

The original recipe uses all white flour and white sugar; I’ve modified this for part whole grain flour, with or without a pre-soak. I prefer to sweeten with stevia, but provide the sugar equivalent for those who do not want to use stevia. If you use sugar, I highly recommend Rapadura or other brands of dehydrated sugar cane juice, as it still contains all the minerals and enzymes of the sugar cane.

I’ve not yet tested this recipe but it promises to be delicious. I like the layering aspect with the almonds on top.

NOTE: If you use spelt flour, you will need less moisture or more flour. For this recipe it is probably easier to adjust the flour amount for the white flour, rather than the whole grain.

Equipment:

• 9″ spring-form baking pan
• 2 small bowls and 1 large bowl
• bakers parchment or waxed paper (if you make the pre-soaked flour variation)

Recipe

Batter:

• 1 ½ cups cups whole grain flour
• 1 cup unbleached white flour
• ⅓ – ½ tsp stevia extract powder plus 2 Tbsp rapadura sugar (or ¾ cup Rapadura sugar if not using stevia)
• 6 oz butter (¾ cup or 1 ½ cubes)
• 1 tsp baking powder
• ¼ tsp unrefined sea salt
• ¾ cup Sour Cream (I recommend homemade or Daisy brand)
• 1 egg
• 1 tsp almond extract

1. Preheat oven to 350°F; grease 9″ spring-form baking pan.
2. Sift flours, stevia (if using) and sugar into large bowl. Cut in butter to coarse crumbs. Measure 1 cup of the mixture and set it aside (for crumb topping).
3. In small bowl, stir baking powder and salt into the sour cream. Beat in the egg and the almond extract. Stir this mixture into the remaining crumb mixture in large bowl, blending well, then spread batter evenly in pan.

Filling:

• 1 cup softened cream cheese
• 6 Tbsp full fat (at least 4%) cottage cheese (I recommend Daisy brand)
• ¼ cup Rapadura sugar (or scant ⅛ tsp stevia extract powder plus 1 Tbsp Rapadura sugar or brown sugar)
• 1 egg

1. In another bowl, combine cream cheese, cottage cheese and sweetener and beat well. Add egg and beat again until well blended.
2. Pour cheese mixture over batter in pan.

Add Topping & Bake:

• reserved crumb mixture (from batter)
• 2 Tbsp sliced almonds (soaked & dried)

1. Add sliced almonds to reserved crumb mixture; sprinkle over cheese mixture in pan.
2. Bake 45 – 50 minutes, or until cheese mixture is set and cake is firm and slightly pulling away from sides of the pan.
3. Cool before removing the sides of the pan to serve.

Presoaked-flour Variation:

This adaptation may need some adjustment, as I have not yet tested this. It is made as above with the following changes at the beginning of the recipe:

Presoak:

1.  Mix whole grain flour, ¼ cup white flour and sweetener; cut in 4 ½ Tbsp butter, then stir in sour cream.
2. Place bowl inside a plastic bag, and let it rest on counter overnight.

Next day:

1. Mix egg and almond extract and stir into soaked batter.
2. Sift ½ cup white flour with baking powder and salt, and stir into batter. Spread into pan.
3. Prepare filling as in original version and spread over batter.
4. Cut remaining 1 ½ Tbsp butter into remaining ¼ cup white flour and 2 Tbsp sugar; add almonds, and sprinkle over the filling. Bake and cool as instructed in original recipe.

References

1. Daisy Brand recipe (daisybrand.com/recipes/recipe.aspx/160/Almond+Coffee+Cake)