In honor of the day, I am also sharing this insanely easy Cherry Streusel Coffee Cake, slightly adapted from a recipe that came to me from a Coffeehouse Mystery reader, as well as a mother and grandmother, named Shirley Jackson. May you bake with love and eat with joy! ~ Cleo
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| Click for Cleo's free recipe PDF. |
To download this recipe as a Free PDF, click here or on the image (at left).
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Shirley Hunt Jackson
"Red Hat Queen"
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Coffee Cake
As I mentioned, this recipe came to me from a beautiful Coffeehouse Mystery reader. I've adapted it slightly, writing my own directions, tips, and notes.
Thank you to Shirley Jackson. I know she would join me in wishing you boundless joy in baking, eating, and living! ~ Cleo
Thank you to Shirley Jackson. I know she would join me in wishing you boundless joy in baking, eating, and living! ~ Cleo
Note from Shirley: "I made this coffee cake for the first time in Houston for a group of Red Hat friends. This coffee cake tastes just like a yeast bread that has taken you a long time to make. Sure does make your kitchen smell cozy."
Note from Cleo: Shirley is absolutely right about the yeast and the coziness of this coffee cake. Over the years, I've seen many cake recipes with a cake mix as starter. I've seen many "pie-filling-over-cake-mix" recipes, too. But I've never seen yeast used as an ingredient. The use of yeast in this recipe gives the streusel a sweet bread-like flavor and texture, but without kneading or rising time. It's also fantastic chilled, so it makes a great summer cake, too.
Cherry Streusel
Coffee Cake
Ingredients:
For the dough base:
1 package yellow cake mix
1 cup all-purpose flour, unsifted
1 packet (1/4 ounce) dry yeast
2/3 cup very warm tap water
2 large eggs, whisked with fork
For the topping:
5 Tablespoons butter (salted is fine)
1 can (1 pound 5 ounce) cherry pie filling
2 Tablespoons granulated sugar
Step 1 - Make dough base: First preheat your oven to 375° Fahrenheit and coat a 13 x 9 x 2-inch baking pan with cooking spray (or grease and flour it to prevent sticking). Then, into a large mixing bowl, measure out 1-1/2 cups of the dry cake mix. (You are setting aside the remaining mix, which you will use for the topping.)
Add the flour and dry yeast to the bowl. Now add the 2/3rds cup of very warm tap water. Allow the yeast to come alive and bubble for a minute. Finally, add the 2 eggs. Beat everything for 2 minutes at medium speed, scraping bowl often. Dough will be thick. Using a rubber spatula or back of a spoon, spread it across the bottom of your coated baking pan.
Step 2 - Make streusel topping: Melt butter in a saucepan and pour it over the remaining cake mix. Mix the butter in well with the dry mix. It should be lumpy and crumbly. (See photo.)
Step 3 - Assemble coffee cake: Spoon the cherry pie filling evenly across the top of the dough in the baking pan. Sprinkle sugar on top of the filling. Finally, using your fingers, crumble the streusel topping over it all. NOTE: Because there was so much topping, I held back some of mine so the bright redness of the cherries would show through, making a prettier presentation.
Step 4 - Bake and glaze: Bake the coffee cake for 30 minutes in your preheated oven (375° F). Cool the coffee cake on a rack--to allow air to circulate under the hot pan bottom. When the top is cool, drizzle with glaze. See my Quick Glaze recipe below. After cake is served, refrigerate leftovers to keep fresh. This cake is also delicious chilled!
CLEO'S FAVORITE QUICK GLAZE
Ingredients:
2 Tablespoons butter (salted is fine)
2 Tablespoons whole milk (cream or half-and-half)
1 cup confectioner's (powdered or icing) sugar, sifted
Directions: Over medium heat, warm butter and milk in a saucepan. Do not let this mixture brown, burn, or boil or you will have a scalded taste in your glaze. As soon as butter has melted, whisk in the sifted confectioner's sugar, a little at a time, until it is completely melted. You must work with the glaze quickly, while it is still warm. Using a rubber spatula or spoon, drizzle the warm glaze over the coffee cake. If the glaze hardens up on you, place the saucepan over the heat again and whisk until liquefied and smooth once more.
CARE FOR A SLICE?
In honor of Shirley...and Madame
and Clare, and all mothers everywhere,
here is Jenny Joseph, reading
her famous "red hat" poem...
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here is Jenny Joseph, reading
her famous "red hat" poem...
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~ Cleo Coyle
Who aspires to wear purple!
Who aspires to wear purple!
New York Times bestselling author of
The Coffeehouse Mysteries
 |
Our 20th
Coffeehouse Mystery!
Bulletproof Barista
To Buy:
Bulletproof Baristaincludes a killer menu
of delicious recipes!
KIRKUS REVIEWS
"Scads of red herrings, peeks behind the show-biz curtain, and bountiful appended recipes will leave fans smiling contentedly."
☕
BOOKLIST
"This twentieth Coffeehouse mystery (after Honey Roasted) brings together the history of the shop, ripped-from-the-headlines plot elements, [and] the drama of on-site filming."
New Paperback Edition!
Includes a mini guideto honey varietiesand a wonderful menuof delicious recipes...
Click here or on the image abovefor Cleo Coyle's Free IllustratedRecipe Guide to Honey Roasted
Our 20th
Coffeehouse Mystery!
Bulletproof Barista
To Buy:
Bulletproof Barista
includes a killer menu
of delicious recipes!
of delicious recipes!
KIRKUS REVIEWS
"Scads of red herrings, peeks behind the show-biz curtain, and bountiful appended recipes will leave fans smiling contentedly."
"Scads of red herrings, peeks behind the show-biz curtain, and bountiful appended recipes will leave fans smiling contentedly."
☕
BOOKLIST
"This twentieth Coffeehouse mystery (after Honey Roasted) brings together the history of the shop, ripped-from-the-headlines plot elements, [and] the drama of on-site filming."
"This twentieth Coffeehouse mystery (after Honey Roasted) brings together the history of the shop, ripped-from-the-headlines plot elements, [and] the drama of on-site filming."
New
Paperback Edition!
Includes a mini guide
to honey varieties
and a wonderful menu
of delicious recipes...
Click here or on the image above
for Cleo Coyle's Free Illustrated
Recipe Guide to Honey Roasted