Mini Cream Cheese Coffee Cake

 

 
Sometimes I just do things the hard way.  (Most of the time actually.)  I found this recipe for a Cream Cheese Coffee Cake in one of my Cook's Illustrated magazines.  According to the way the recipe is written, the cake is supposed to be baked in a 10 tube pan and then cut into slices.  In retrospect - that would have been waaaay easier.  For some reason, I decided to turn my coffee cake into individual mini coffee cakes.  The problem with that is that I only have 1 mini bundt pan.  It went something like this: bake, cool, wash, bake, cool, wash, bake, cool, wash, bake, cool, wash.) 

Cream Cheese Coffee Cake
Lemon Sugar - Almond Topping
1/4 cup sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons lemon zest
1/2 cup sliced almonds

Cake
2 1/4 cups flour
1 1/8 teaspoons baking powder
1 1/8 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
10 Tablespoons butter
1 cup + 7 Tablespoons sugar
1 Tablespoon lemon zest
juice from 1 lemon
4 eggs
5 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 1/4 cups sour cream
8 ounces cream cheese








For topping:  Stir together sugar and lemon zest.  Stir in almonds.












For cake:  Whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.  Beat butter and 1 cup + 2 Tablespoons sugar in mixer until light and fluffy.












Add eggs, one at a time.  Add 4 teaspoons vanilla.













Add dry ingredients alternating with sour cream.









Reserve 1 1/4 cups batter.  Spoon a teaspoonful of topping into the bottom of greased mini bundt pan.

 

Spoon reserved batter over topping.

 

Beat cream cheese, 5 Tablespoons sugar, lemon juice and 1 teaspoon vanilla.  Add 1/4 cup reserved batter.







Spoon cheese filling over batter.  Use a toothpick to swirl filling into batter.  

 

Spoon remaining batter on top of filling.

Bake 25 minutes.  Cool in pan 10 minutes.

Remove from pan and cool on wire racks. 

 

At the end of the day ... the mini coffee cakes were totally worth the extra effort.  There's no doubt in my mind that they are more time consuming than a tube pan coffee cake but sometimes a little extra time pays off in the end.  These cute little breakfast treats area super cute and really delicious.  (especially the lemon - almond topping)

Ciao!



Cream Cheese Coffee Cake
Lemon Sugar - Almond Topping
1/4 cup sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons lemon zest
1/2 cup sliced almonds


Cake
2 1/4 cups flour
1 1/8 teaspoons baking powder
1 1/8 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
10 Tablespoons butter
1 cup + 7 Tablespoons sugar
1 Tablespoon lemon zest
juice from 1 lemon

4 eggs
5 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 1/4 cups sour cream

8 ounces cream cheese


For topping:  Stir together sugar and lemon zest.  Stir in almonds.  
For cake:  Whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.  Beat butter and 1 cup + 2 Tablespoons sugar in mixer until light and fluffy.  Add eggs, one at a time.  Add 4 teaspoons vanilla.  Add dry ingredients alternating with sour cream.  Reserve 1 1/4 cups batter.  Spoon a teaspoonful of topping into the bottom of greased mini bundt pan.  Spoon reserved batter over topping.  Beat cream cheese, 5 Tablespoons sugar, lemon juice and 1 teaspoon vanilla.  Add 1/4 cup reserved batter.  Spoon cheese filling over batter.  Use a toothpick to swirl filling into batter.  Spoon remaining batter on top of filling.  Bake 25 minutes.  Cool in pan 10 minutes.  Remove from pan and cool on wire racks.