Sunday, December 6, 2009

Raspberry CHIPOTLE Cream Cheese Coffee Cake


The MASTER BAKER RETURNS with the best ever coffee cake! Are you tired of hearing about my crush on Mary and her blog, ONE PERFECT BITE yet??? Seems like I have been advertising for her lately. A few days back, Mary posted a coffee cake recipe that she really liked. However, she also did a link to an earlier different coffee cake recipe that she was less excited about. Me, being the type of guy I am, decided that I was going to give the less well reviewed recipe a try. I am sure glad I did...

OK, for details, I am going to ask you to go to Mary's original post of October 24th of this year, and her... RASPBERRY CREAM CHEESE COFFEE CAKE RECIPE (click HERE).

Here's what she said to do...
Raspberry Cream Cheese Coffee Cake...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite courtesy of Allrecipes

Ingredients:

2-1/4 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup sugar

3/4 cup cold butter

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

3/4 cup sour cream

1 egg, beaten

1-1/2 teaspoons almond extract


FILLING:

1 (8-oz.) package cream cheese, softened

1/2 cup sugar

1 egg

1/2 cup raspberry jam

1/2 cup slivered almonds

Confectioners' sugar (optional)


Directions:

1) In a large mixing bowl, combine flour and sugar. Cut in butter until mixture is crumbly. Remove 1 cup and set aside. To remaining crumbs, add baking powder, baking soda and salt. Add sour cream, egg and almond extract; mix well. Spread in the bottom and 2 in. up the sides of a greased 9-in. springform pan.


2) To make filling, beat cream cheese, sugar and egg in a small bowl until blended. Pour over batter; spoon raspberry jam on top. Sprinkle with almonds and reserved crumbs.

3) Bake at 350 degrees F for 55-60 minutes.

Let stand for 15 minutes. Carefully run a knife around edge of pan to loosen; remove sides from pan. Dust top with confectioners' sugar if desired. Yield: 8 servings.


And here's what I did...

Actually, here's why I did what I did...

A couple months ago, A was praising the virtues of Fischer and Wieser, handcrafted one jar at a time, THE ORIGINAL ROASTED RASPBERRY CHIPOTLE SAUCE (that's what the bottle looks like, next to the autographed picture of me with Bernadette Peters). It was wonderful, but it was also not sold in my area. I used the bottle up (actually, more than one bottle), gave away a couple in contests and as a hostess gift, and made some wonderful recipes with it (remember my raspberry chipotle Yorkshire pudding???). But, once I was out, I was only going to get more if I did mail order. Despite the fact that the good folks at Fischer and Wieser, are offering free shipping on any order placed in time for Christmas delivery, I was still putting off ordering more.

BUT, my local underpriced grocery store started carrying the sauce!!! Not sure if it was going to be just for Christmas, or limited trial. or why... But I snatched up a couple of bottles just two nights before I read about Mary's favorite coffee cake recipe (which directed me to her earlier coffee cake recipe (this one). Everyone following so far?). Yes, before, when I wrote about the sauce, I was reviewing free bottles the good folks had sent me... This time, I am writing about sauce I paid for... Must mean I was honest before about how good the stuff is!

What appealed to me about Mary's recipe was the use of jam as an ingredient. You could use the same recipe with Orange marmalade, Blackberry or Peach jam or whatever you have. So, while I urge you to hunt down the good stuff that I am using, the recipe can be adapted for your tastes...

AND, I also had bought several packages of cream cheese just that week (on sale for just $0.37 a box!). A favorite sauce, a main ingredient on sale, and a day later this recipe screams at me... It's like the stars were in alignment, and who am I to argue with aligned stars?

I wanted to use the Raspberry CHIPOTLE sauce for this recipe!
As someone famous says
KICK IT UP A NOTCH... BAM!

I followed Mary's directions to the letter...

Just added the Fischer and Wieser, handcrafted one jar at a time, THE ORIGINAL ROASTED RASPBERRY CHIPOTLE SAUCE in place of the jam.

And the master baker returns with his very first coffee cake... I need to work on my dusting technique (mine was more of layering than dusting), but what a success! Incredibly easy, incredibly moist (my cream cheese kind of melted into the batter making it almost a thick pudding like center). The chipotle in the sauce is subtle. It is not the most powerful ingredient, but it is certainly there. I served this for dessert when the ladies of the evening returned from their jewelry shopping and the men had finished their spaghetti and fancy meat balls , TV watching and scratching (see yesterday's post).

So, Mary and ONE PERFECT BITE I thank you so much for the easy directions, the wonderful inspiration and as always, I thank you for your wonderful blog (one of my absolute favorites)!







26 comments:

  1. I think cream cheese filling has to be one of my most favorite things. Ever. Especially with this spiced up sauce you mixed into it.

    What a fantastic cake.

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  2. That actually is a great idea, since one of their "quick appetizer" ideas is topping cream cheese with a drizzle of the chipolte sauce. I might try this as I have a bottle in the pantry right now.

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  3. Yum! I am a sucker for baking that has fruit in it of any sort...jams esepcially!

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  4. Raspberry is one of my favorites.

    Hey, Old Bay is having a contest where you can win LOTS of cool things. But you have to be a member of Facebook..and a fan of Old Bay on Facebook.

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  5. I can see why you would have a crush on Mary, she is a cooking goddess! This looks awesome!

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  6. What a creative kicked-up sauce (raspberry chiptole). Oh, how I wish I could bake! I love coffee cakes-And Master Baker, you have done it again. Very nice.
    Your year on the grill does it transition to year in front of the oven?

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  7. Next thing we know you're going to be on Food Network with your own show "Master Baker" This really looks good. I'm going to HAVE to make this recipe. Looks fabulous.

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  8. Dave! You baked again! And wow looks fantastic... Made me hungry too...I love how you changed up the recipe just a tweak. Awesome... So ok... powdered sugar dusting... To master that... get yourself a small hand held metal sieve. I keep a small one right inside my plastic container of powdered sugar... Load it up and tap tap tap! Perfect every time!
    Take care and thanks for visiting my blog while I was at Disneyland! Sure you don't wanna try the tea cups again? Oh not your cuppa tea? hehehehe...
    Really Rainey

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  9. my my my...that's brilliant...i would never have dreamed of using a supposedly savory sauce in a desert...but you pulled you totally pulled it off...amazing ! ( thank you for expanding my culinary perspective).

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  10. All I can say is YUM! I love the addition of the kick in the sweet cake. I am going to have to go visit Mary's site. She should pay you for the endorsement :-)

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  11. This looks wonderful, Dave. I love the play of sweet and hot.

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  12. Great job! Anything Mary bakes always looks wonderful!

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  13. Looks sinful, cher! If you keep making these fantastic desserts, I just might have to come over there! :) Have a great week!

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  14. That sure looks delish, every time I see the words Master Baker, I see in my mind Master Bater! LOL

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  15. I've really been trying to watch the sugar, but this has raspberries in it and raspberries are fruit right? We need fruit so I think I can rationalize making this recipe! :)

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  16. It sure looks good... I love cream cheese coffee cakes!

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  17. YUM! I make a very similar raspberry cream cheese coffee cake. It's a family favorite! I bet the chipoltle really kicked it up a notch. Well done!

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  18. $0.37 a package - wow! Your coffee cake looks deliicious and I really like your chipotle twist!

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  19. Looked and sounded pretty tasty! I make a raspberry-Chambourd drizzle I put on cheesecake, which people seem to like...

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  20. It sounds amazing...wish I had a slice with my coffee right now!

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  21. Chipotle in coffee cake, huh? Sounds awesome!

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  22. Wow, very impressive, Dave. I love the flavors you've got going on in there.

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  23. Greetings! Since this is your SECOND post in the past year where you have mentioned the MAGNIFICENT grande dame of the Broadway stage, Ms. Bernadette Peters, you have now been officially inducted into PIPWMMP (Pee In Pants When Meeting Ms. Peters...NOT pronounced pipwimps!!!) We are a SECRET society that requires NO dues, NO meetings and NO social networking. All we ask is that you tell NOONE, and that you ALWAYS have a spare pair of pants handy EVERYTIME you go to New York City.
    PS LOVE the blog...but how do you not gain more weight doing it?!?!?

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  24. That cake looks really good. im going to have to try that recipe soon. thanks

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  25. btw I just read the recipe and Im not quite clear on whats to be done to the 1 cup of crumbs that was set aside? hope u can help :)

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  26. Dave, I think you are a fearless baker. I never, in a gadzillion years, would have thought to do this, but it certainly sounds good. A good and tantalizing mix of sweet, savory, creamy. Sounds like you've made a tasty discovery. I think you should enter this in a recipe contest, win big prizes, take your wife away from her inconvenient day job.

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