Lemon-Scented Pull-Apart Coffee Cake : Bake Along #61

I always like to bake along with Bake Along event simply because this event always let me try out awesome recipes that i would never think i will try to bake :p
Bake Along #61 is baking Lemon-Scented Pull-Apart Coffee Cake this round. I am curious about this coffee cake. Why?? Because its named Lemon-Scented Pull-Apart Coffee Cake and yet it look like a bread to me :p  To kill my curiousity i must bake this coffee cake.

Guess what?? We all love the coffee cake expect my second. I don't know why but he only likes the cream cheese topping .. lol


When it is pull-aparted the texture is so soft and fine.

I love the layer of pull-apart coffee cake. It is like counting he love me .. he loves me not .. he love me .. he love me not ..lol  After counting the layers, it all went into our tummy :D :D :D


These are the look of the coffee cake before proofing.

These are the look of the coffee cake after proofing.
See any difference?

I don't know why i can't put all of the coffee cake layers into a loaf tin :p  1 loaf tin is not enough for me to put so i used 2 loaf tin instead of one. I make a mistake while preparing the dough. Instead of warming the milk and melt the butter, i add everything into my KA mixing bowl, mixed and knead into a smooth dough. Then after i realise i have make a mistake but i have no choice but to continue on to the following steps. I am lucky this coffee cake turn out well :D

Look, how soft it is!!

This coffee cake is so good to have over a cuppa of coffee, especially the cream cheese topping ^_^ No wonder it is named a coffee cake, it is good with coffee :D :D

The assembling of this coffee cake may look a bit more complicated but it really is easy to follow. My family and I simply love this coffee cake except for my second ...lol But her learn to like it after spreading it with some peanut butter ><

Lemon-Scented Pull-Apart Coffee Cake
(adapted from "Baking For All Occasions", Flo Braker)
(I follow Joyce's changes in blue)
Sweet Yeast Dough
About 2-3/4 cups (12-1/4 ounces/350 grams) all-purpose flour (use bread flour)
1/4 cup (1-3/4 ounces/50 grams) granulated sugar (1/8 cup)
2-1/4 teaspoons (1 envelope) instant yeast (i used 2 tsp)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup (2-1/2 fl ounces/75ml) whole milk
2 ounces (1/2 stick/55 grams) unsalted butter
1/4 cup (2 fl ounces/60ml water)
1-1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
2 large eggs, at room temperature


Lemon Paste Filling

1/2 cup (3-1/2 ounces/100 grams) granulated sugar (1/3 cup)
3 tablespoons finely grated lemon zest (3 lemons)
1 tablespoon finely grated orange zest
2 ounces (1/2 sticks/55 grams) unsalted butter, melted


Tangy Cream Cheese Icing

3 ounces (85 grams) cream cheese, softened
1/3 cup (1-1/4 ounces/35 grams) powdered sugar (1/4 cup)
1 tablespoon whole milk
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice (2-3 tablespoons)


To make the Sweet Yeast Dough :

Stir together 2 cups (9 ounces/255 grams) of the flour, the sugar, the yeast, and the salt in the bowl of a stand mixer; set aside. In a small saucepan, heat the milk and butter over low heat just until the butter is melted. Remove from the heat, add the water, and set aside until warm (120 to 130 degrees F), about 1 minute. Add the vanilla extract.  (i make a mistake in the part which i did not warm the milk and melted the butter but instead i mixed all the ingredients together into a dough)

Pour the milk mixture over the flour-yeast mixture and, using a rubber spatula, mix until the dry ingredients are evenly moistened. Attach the bowl to the mixer; and fit the mixer with the paddle attachment. With the mixer on low speed, add the eggs, one at a time, mixing after each addition just until incorporated. Stop the mixer, add 1/2 cup (2-1/4 ounces/65 grams) of the remaining flour, and resume mixing on low speed until the dough is smooth, 30 to 45 seconds. Add 2 more tablespoons flour and mix on medium speed until the dough is smooth, soft and slightly sticky, about 45 seconds.

Sprinkle a work surface with 1 tablespoon flour and center the dough on the flour. Knead gently until smooth and no longer sticky, about 1 minute, adding an additional 1 to 2 tablespoons flour only if necessary to lessen the stickiness. Place the dough in a large bowl, cover the bowl securely with plastic wrap, and let the dough rise in a warm place (about 70 degrees F) until doubled in size, 45 to 60 minutes. Press the dough gently with a fingertip. If the indentation remains, the dough is ready for the next step. While the dough is rising, make the filling.


To Make The Lemon Paste Filling :

In a small bowl, mix together the sugar and the lemon and orange zests. Set the sandy-wet mixture nearby (the sugar draws out moisture from the zests to create the consistency).


Before Baking :

Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly butter a 9 by 5 by 3-inch loaf pan. Or, lightly coat the pan with nonstick spray.


To Shape The Coffee Cake :

Gently deflate the dough. On a lightly floured work surface, roll out the dough into a 20-by-12-inch rectangle. Using a pastry brush, spread the melted butter generously over the dough. Cut the dough crosswise into 5 strips, each about 12 by 4 inches. (A pizza cutter is helpful here.) Sprinkle 1-1/2 tablespoons of the zest-sugar mixture over one of the buttered rectangles. Top with a second rectangle and sprinkle it with 1-1/2 tablespoons of the zest-sugar mixture. Repeat with the remaining dough rectangles and zest-sugar mixture, ending with a stack of 5 rectangles. Work carefully when adding the crumbly zest filling, or it will fall off when you have to lift the stacked pastry later.

Slice the stack crosswise through the 5 layers to create 6 equal strips, each about 4 by 2 inches. Fit these layered strips into the prepared loaf pan, cut edges up and side by side. (While there is plenty of space on either side of the 6 strips widthwise in the pan, fitting the strips lengthwise is tight. But that's fine because the spaces between the dough and the sides of the pan fill in during baking). Loosely cover the pan with plastic wrap and let the dough rise in a warm place, (70 degrees F) until puffy and almost doubled in size, 30 to 50 minutes. Press the dough gently with a fingertip. If the indentation remains, the dough is ready for baking.

Bake the coffee cake until the top is golden brown, 30 to 35 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack and let cool in the pan for 10 to 15 minutes. (Mine case was the same as Joyce, after baking for about 25 minutes, I too tent the top with foil as the top was already brown like what Joyce note in her blog, and bake for another 10 minutes until bread is done) Thanks for your tip Joyce !!!


While the coffee cake bakes, make the Tangy Cream Cheese Icing :

In a medium bowl, using a rubber spatula, vigorously mix the cream cheese and sugar until smooth. Beat in the milk and lemon juice until the mixture is creamy and smooth.

To remove the coffee cake from the pan, tilt and rotate the pan while gently tapping it on a counter to release the cake sides. Invert a wire rack on top of the coffee cake, invert the cake onto the rack, and carefully lift off the pan. Invert another rack on top, invert the cake so it is right side up, and remove the original rack. Slip a sheet of waxed paper under the rack to catch any drips from the icing. Using a pastry brush, coat the top of the warm cake with the icing to glaze it. (Cover and refrigerate the leftover icing for another use. It will keep for up to 2 days).

Serve the coffee cake warm or at room temperature. To serve, you can pull apart the layers, or you can cut the cake into 1-inch-thick slices on a slight diagonal with a long, serrated knife. If you decide to cut the cake, don't attempt to cut it until it is almost completely cool.


This post is link to Bake Along #61 hosted by Joyce from Kitchen Flavours, Lena from Her Frozen Wings  and  Zoe from Bake for Happy Kids. Bake For Happy Kids.

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