Cream Cheese Coffee Cake
By America's Test KitchenPublished on August 22, 2013
Time
1½ hours, plus 2½ hours cooling
Yield
Serves 12 to 16 (Makes one 10-inch cake)
Ingredients
Topping
¼ cup (1¾ ounces/50 grams) sugar 1½ teaspoons grated lemon zest ½ cup sliced almondsCake
2 ¼ cups (11 ¼ ounces/319 grams) unbleached all-purpose flour 1 ⅛ teaspoons baking powder 1 ⅛ teaspoons baking soda 1 teaspoon table salt 10 tablespoons (1 stick plus 2 tablespoons) unsalted butter, softened but still cool1 ⅛ cups (7¾ ounces/220 grams) plus 5 tablespoons (2¼ ounces/64 grams) sugar 1 tablespoon finely grated zest plus 4 teaspoons juice from 1 to 2 lemons4 large eggs 5 teaspoons vanilla extract 1 ¼ cups sour cream 8 ounces (227 grams) cream cheese, softenedBefore You Begin
Leftovers should be stored in the refrigerator, covered tightly with plastic wrap. For optimal texture, allow the cake to return to room temperature before serving.
Instructions
- Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 350 degrees. Spray 16-cup tube pan with vegetable oil spray.
- Stir sugar and lemon zest in small bowl until combined and sugar is moistened. Stir in almonds; set aside.
- Whisk flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together in bowl; set aside. Using stand mixer fitted with paddle, beat butter, 1⅛ cups sugar, and lemon zest on medium-high speed until pale and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add eggs, one at a time, and beat until combined. Add 4 teaspoons vanilla and mix to combine. Reduce speed to low and add flour mixture in 3 additions, alternating with sour cream in 2 additions, scraping down bowl as needed. Give batter final stir by hand.
- Set aside 1¼ cups batter. Using rubber spatula, spread remaining batter in prepared pan and smooth top. Return now-empty bowl to mixer and beat cream cheese, lemon juice, remaining 5 tablespoons sugar, and remaining 1 teaspoon vanilla on medium speed until smooth and slightly lightened, about 1 minute. Add ¼ cup reserved batter and mix until incorporated. Spoon cream cheese mixture evenly over batter, keeping filling about 1 inch from edges of pan; smooth top. Spread remaining 1 cup reserved batter over filling and smooth top. Using butter knife or offset spatula, gently swirl filling into batter using figure-8 motion, being careful not to drag filling to bottom or edges of pan. Gently tap pan on counter to release air bubbles. Sprinkle topping evenly over batter, pressing gently to adhere.
- Bake until top is golden and just firm and skewer inserted in center of cake comes out clean (skewer will be wet if inserted in cream cheese filling), 45 to 50 minutes, rotating pan halfway through baking. Remove pan from oven and firmly tap on counter 2 or 3 times (top of cake may sink slightly). Let cake cool in pan on wire rack for 1 hour. Remove cake from pan and let cool completely on rack, about 1½ hours. Serve. (Leftover cake can be refrigerated for up to 2 days; bring to room temperature before serving.)
for the topping
for the cake
Time
1½ hours, plus 2½ hours coolingYield
Serves 12 to 16 (Makes one 10-inch cake)Ingredients
Topping
¼ cup (1¾ ounces/50 grams) sugar
1½ teaspoons grated lemon zest
½ cup sliced almonds
Cake
2 ¼ cups (11 ¼ ounces/319 grams) unbleached all-purpose flour
1 ⅛ teaspoons baking powder
1 ⅛ teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon table salt
10 tablespoons (1 stick plus 2 tablespoons) unsalted butter, softened but still cool
1 ⅛ cups (7¾ ounces/220 grams) plus 5 tablespoons (2¼ ounces/64 grams) sugar
1 tablespoon finely grated zest plus 4 teaspoons juice from 1 to 2 lemons
4 large eggs
5 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 ¼ cups sour cream
8 ounces (227 grams) cream cheese, softened
Test Kitchen Techniques
Ingredients
Topping
¼ cup (1¾ ounces/50 grams) sugar
1½ teaspoons grated lemon zest
½ cup sliced almonds
Cake
2 ¼ cups (11 ¼ ounces/319 grams) unbleached all-purpose flour
1 ⅛ teaspoons baking powder
1 ⅛ teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon table salt
10 tablespoons (1 stick plus 2 tablespoons) unsalted butter, softened but still cool
1 ⅛ cups (7¾ ounces/220 grams) plus 5 tablespoons (2¼ ounces/64 grams) sugar
1 tablespoon finely grated zest plus 4 teaspoons juice from 1 to 2 lemons
4 large eggs
5 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 ¼ cups sour cream
8 ounces (227 grams) cream cheese, softened
Test Kitchen Techniques
Ingredients
Topping
¼ cup (1¾ ounces/50 grams) sugar
1½ teaspoons grated lemon zest
½ cup sliced almonds
Cake
2 ¼ cups (11 ¼ ounces/319 grams) unbleached all-purpose flour
1 ⅛ teaspoons baking powder
1 ⅛ teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon table salt
10 tablespoons (1 stick plus 2 tablespoons) unsalted butter, softened but still cool
1 ⅛ cups (7¾ ounces/220 grams) plus 5 tablespoons (2¼ ounces/64 grams) sugar
1 tablespoon finely grated zest plus 4 teaspoons juice from 1 to 2 lemons
4 large eggs
5 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 ¼ cups sour cream
8 ounces (227 grams) cream cheese, softened
Test Kitchen Techniques
Why This Recipe Works
This brunch staple is fraught with pitfalls, from dry, bland cake to lackluster fillings that sink to the bottom. Rich sour cream contributed moisture to our cake as well as a subtle tang—a perfect backdrop for the cream cheese swirl. For the filling, we settled on a base mixture of softened cream cheese and sugar and then added lemon juice to cut the richness and a hint of vanilla extract for depth. Incorporating a small amount of the cake batter into the cheese ensured our filling wasn't grainy. The filling not only stayed creamy, but it fused to the cake during baking; this eliminated any gaps and guaranteed perfect swirls of filling. Sliced almonds, sugar, and lemon zest formed a glistening, crackly crust on top of our rich, moist cake.
Before You Begin
Leftovers should be stored in the refrigerator, covered tightly with plastic wrap. For optimal texture, allow the cake to return to room temperature before serving.
Instructions
- Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 350 degrees. Spray 16-cup tube pan with vegetable oil spray.
- Stir sugar and lemon zest in small bowl until combined and sugar is moistened. Stir in almonds; set aside.
- Whisk flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together in bowl; set aside. Using stand mixer fitted with paddle, beat butter, 1⅛ cups sugar, and lemon zest on medium-high speed until pale and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add eggs, one at a time, and beat until combined. Add 4 teaspoons vanilla and mix to combine. Reduce speed to low and add flour mixture in 3 additions, alternating with sour cream in 2 additions, scraping down bowl as needed. Give batter final stir by hand.
- Set aside 1¼ cups batter. Using rubber spatula, spread remaining batter in prepared pan and smooth top. Return now-empty bowl to mixer and beat cream cheese, lemon juice, remaining 5 tablespoons sugar, and remaining 1 teaspoon vanilla on medium speed until smooth and slightly lightened, about 1 minute. Add ¼ cup reserved batter and mix until incorporated. Spoon cream cheese mixture evenly over batter, keeping filling about 1 inch from edges of pan; smooth top. Spread remaining 1 cup reserved batter over filling and smooth top. Using butter knife or offset spatula, gently swirl filling into batter using figure-8 motion, being careful not to drag filling to bottom or edges of pan. Gently tap pan on counter to release air bubbles. Sprinkle topping evenly over batter, pressing gently to adhere.
- Bake until top is golden and just firm and skewer inserted in center of cake comes out clean (skewer will be wet if inserted in cream cheese filling), 45 to 50 minutes, rotating pan halfway through baking. Remove pan from oven and firmly tap on counter 2 or 3 times (top of cake may sink slightly). Let cake cool in pan on wire rack for 1 hour. Remove cake from pan and let cool completely on rack, about 1½ hours. Serve. (Leftover cake can be refrigerated for up to 2 days; bring to room temperature before serving.)
for the topping
for the cake
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