Raspberry Cream Cheese Coffee Cake

As promised....Raspberry Cream Cheese Coffee Cake!



I realize that it's been over a week since I posted an actual dinner. Please bear with me for one more breakfast post. While this recipe isn't original, and I've seen similar versions in quite a few places, if you don't already have this coffee cake in your repertoire, then you'll be glad that I held off on dinner for one last night! This cake has become a staple at my holiday breakfasts, at showers, or when company is coming into town. This one is my favorite! That blueberry coffee cake that I posted last week was pretty amazing, but pardon the pun, this one TAKES THE CAKE! I first made this recipe 17 years ago. I was in high school. During the summer that I discovered it, I baked this recipe over and over...trying to get it "just right." All of that practice paid off because not only did this cake win the Grand Champion ribbon at my county fair, I got to bake it again for the Indiana State Fair where it won an honorable mention in the Dairy Foods category. A friend was complimenting this coffee cake a couple of weeks ago and so I shared this fun bit of trivia about my coffee cake recipe. "You were baking cakes like this back in high school!?" she asked in disbelief. Oh yeah I was. 4-H, baby!

I'm going to a take a moment to make a shameless plug for 4-H. 4-H was such a big part of my formative years. Not only did I learn how to bake a great cake (and decorate it), make my own prom dresses, or raise the perfect pig...I learned responsibility, leadership skills, and built some amazing life-long friendships. 4-H brought my family closer as we worked on projects together, celebrating our victories and learning from our mistakes. On top of it all, we had a lot of fun. Today, 4-H has grown into a community of 6 million young people across America learning leadership, citizenship, and life skills.

The 4-H Mission
4-H empowers youth to reach their full potential, working and learning in partnership with caring adults.

The 4-H Vision
A world in which youth and adults learn, grow and work together as catalysts for positive change.

If you have a child or know a child that is looking for an opportunity for learning, fun, leadership, and friendship, then please consider 4-H as an option. 4-H is for every child and is offered in every county in every state, as well as the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and over 80 countries around the world. I used to love going on 4-H trips in my teenage years and meeting other 4-Her's from around the country. We came from all over and our circumstances were different, but we shared a common bond. 4-H also deepened my interest in local and national politics, giving me the opportunity to sit down, face-to-face with my representatives, congressmen and women, and discuss the issues as they affected our lives. You don't have to live on a farm and it's not expensive. Heck, you can even make money at it AND obtain scholarships. There are excellent 4-H opportunities for children in urban communities.

Clearly, I'm an advocate, but I have to say that being a part of the 4-H community is extremely rewarding. If you're interested, then check out the 4-H website, where you can learn more about 4-H in your area. It's definitely worth a look!

Okay, now back to the coffee cake.

I began by greasing and flouring my springform pan and preheating the oven.



Then I mixed together the flour and sugar and using my pastry blender (although a fork works fine too). I cut in the butter...



Until the mixture resembled coarse crumbs. Reserve a cup of this crumbly mixture for topping the coffee cake.



To the remaining mixture, add the baking soda, baking powder, salt, sour cream, egg, and almond extract. Blend well, until all of the ingredients are combined, but not too well....you want a nice tender cake. Over mixing can lend itself to a tougher finished product.



Spread the batter over the bottom and up 1 inch of the sides of the prepared pan.



Then combine the cream cheese, sugar, and egg.



Spread the filling batter evenly over the cake batter in your springform pan.



Now for the raspberry topping. It's really just seedless raspberry preserves. I find that the easiest, less-mess way to distribute the preserves is to spoon them into a plastic baggie. Then you can sort of mush and massage the preserves into a smoother state.



Then you can clip a corner off of the baggy and squeeze the preserves evenly over the surface of the cake.



Once the preserves are on the cake, I take a knife and swirl them in.



Next, I mixed some sliced almonds into the reserved crumbs for the cake topping.



Sprinkle them evenly over the cake and...BAKE! 350 degrees for 45-55 minutes or until the top is golden brown.



Cool the cake for 15 minutes on a rack, then remove the sides of the pan and either cool further or serve warm. I usually bake this the night before and serve it for breakfast.



This cake rocks! I hope that you all enjoy it as much as I do.



Here's the recipe:

Raspberry Cream Cheese Coffee Cake

Ingredients
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup cold butter
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup sour cream
1 egg, beaten
1 teaspoon almond extract
FILLING:
1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup sugar
1 egg
1/2 cup raspberry jam
1/2 cup sliced almonds
Directions
1.In a large mixing bowl, combine flour and sugar. Cut in butter until mixture is crumbly. Remove 1 cup and set aside. To the remaining crumbs, add baking powder, baking soda, salt, sour cream, egg and almond extract; mix well. Spread in the bottom and 1 in. up the sides of a greased 9-in. springform pan.
2.For the filling, in a small bowl, beat cream cheese, sugar and egg in a small bowl until blended. Pour over batter; spoon or pipe raspberry jam on top. Swirl with a knife. Sprinkle with almonds and reserved crumbs.
3.Bake at 350 degrees F for 45-55 minutes or until golden brown. Let stand for 15 minutes. Carefully run a knife around the edge of pan to loosen; remove sides from pan. Serve warm or cool. Refrigerate leftovers.


If you're not a breakfast lover, thanks for hanging in there with me through the breakfast posts. I promise that the dinner I post tomorrow night is out-of-this-world good!