Cherry 'n Cheese Lattice Coffee Cake

A sweet bread dough filled with cream cheese and cherries, "braided" and baked until it’s golden brown, then finished with sweet icing drizzled prettily over the bread.

Yield: 2 coffee cakes

Ingredients

Dough

• 1/4 cup water
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 3 tablespoons butter
• 2 eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 3 cups bread flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 3 tablespoons granulated sugar
• 2 1/4 teaspoons Red Star Active Dry Yeast (one packet)*

Filling

• 2 (3 ounce) packages cream cheese, room temperature
• 1 egg
• 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 1 (1 pound 5 ounce) can cherry pie filling

Icing

• 2 to 3 tablespoons water
• 1 1/4 cups powdered sugar

Instructions

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees F.

Bread Machine Method

1. Have liquid ingredients at 80 degrees F and all other ingredients at room temperature. Place dough ingredients in pan in the order listed. Select dough/manual cycle. Do not use the delay. Check dough consistency after 5 minutes of kneading. The dough should be in a soft, tacky ball. If it is dry and stiff, add water, 1/2 to 1 tablespoon at a time. If it is too wet and sticky, add 1 tablespoon of flour at a time.

Traditional Method

1. In mixing bowl, combine yeast, 1 cup flour, salt and sugar.
2. Heat water, sour cream and butter to 120 to 130 degrees F; add to dry ingredients. With mixer, beat for 2 to 3 minutes on medium speed. Add eggs and vanilla extract; beat for 1 minute.
3. Gradually add remaining flour by hand or with a mixer that has dough hook(s); knead for 5 to 7 minutes until smooth and elastic.
4. Place dough in lightly oiled bowl and turn to grease top. Cover; let rise until dough tests ripe, approximately 30 to 40 minutes.
5. To prepare filling, cream together cream cheese, egg, sugar, and salt.
6. Shaping, Rising and Baking: Punch down dough and divide in half. On a lightly floured surface, roll each half to a 12 x 17 inch rectangle. Spread half of filling lengthwise over center third of dough. Top with approximately half of pie filling. (Save a few cherries from filling to decorate coffeecake after it is baked.) On each long side, cut 1 inch wide strips, 2 inches long. Starting at one end, fold strips at an angle across filling, alternately from side to side.
7. Place coffeecake on greased baking sheet.
8. Cover; let rise until indentation remains after lightly touching the side of the coffeecake, approximately 30 minutes.
9. Bake in preheated oven for 30 to 35 minutes.
10. Cool on wire rack.
11. Drizzle with icing; place a few cherries on small lattice openings to decorate coffeecake.

Notes

* You can substitute Instant (fast-rising) yeast in place of Active Dry Yeast. When using Instant Yeast, expect your dough to rise faster. Always let your dough rise until ripe. Traditional methods: use equal amounts; Bread Machine: use 1/2 teaspoon Instant Yeast or 3/4 teaspoon Active Dry Yeast per cup of flour in your recipe.

Attribution

Recipe and photo used with permission from: Red Star Yeast

This recipe is featured at Barbara Bakes.