Braided and fruit-filled, these shapely coffee cakes are perfect for entertaining or giving as gifts. This delicious recipe is from the award-winning Betty Crocker’s Best Christmas Cookbook.
- 2 packages regular or quick active dry yeast
- 1/2 cup warm water (105°F to 115°F)
- 1 1/4 cups buttermilk
- 2 eggs
- 5 1/2 to 6 cups Gold Medal™ Better for Bread™ flour or Gold Medal™ all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup butter or margarine, softened
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 1 1/2 cups chopped dried apricots
- 1 1/2 cups chopped drained maraschino cherries
- Coffee Cake Glaze
- 1 1/2 cups red cinnamon candies, if desired
Steps:
- Dissolve yeast in warm water in large bowl. Add buttermilk, sugar, butter, eggs, baking powder, salt and 2 1/2 cups of the flour. Beat with electric mixer on low speed 30 seconds, scraping bowl constantly. Beat on medium speed 2 minutes, scraping bowl occasionally. Stir in enough remaining flour to make dough easy to handle. (Dough should be soft and slightly sticky.)
- Grease 3 cookie sheets. Turn dough onto well-floured surface; gently knead about 5 minutes or until smooth and elastic. Divide dough into 3 equal parts. Roll one part into rectangle, 15×9 inches. Place rectangle on cookie sheet.
- Mix apricots and chopped cherries. Spread one-third of the apricot mixture in a strip about 2 1/2 inches wide lengthwise down center of rectangle. Make cuts in dough at 1/2-inch intervals on both 15-inch sides almost to filling. Fold strips over filling, overlapping and crossing in center. Carefully stretch dough until 22 inches long; curve one end to form top of cane. Repeat with remaining 2 parts of dough. Cover and let rise in warm place about 1 hour or until double. (Dough is ready if indentation remains when touched.)
- Heat oven to 375°F. Bake 20 to 25 minutes or until golden brown. Drizzle Glaze over warm coffee cakes. Decorate with cinnamon candies.
Recipe and Photo credit:tablespoon / CC BY-NC-ND
