CHRISTMAS COFFEE CAKES

CHRISTMAS COFFEE CAKES image

Number Of Ingredients 24

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Ingredients

Ingredients:
4 to 4 1/2 cups all purpose flour (I use King Arthur. It is the best.)
1/2 cup sugar
1 tsp. salt.
2 packages active dry yeast
3/4 cup milk
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup butter
1 egg
The insides:
Ricotta Cheese filling:
Put through a ricer or strainer 1 1/2 cups Ricotta.
Mix well with 1/4 cup sugar, 1 slightly beaten egg yolk, 1/4 cup raisins, 2 tsps. lemond rind.
Beat until stiff, but not dry, and fold in 1 egg white.
Apple filling
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
6 tablespoons golden brown sugar
1 1/4 pounds apples (I usually use a tart apple, Granny Smith, but have also used Gala) peeled, cored, quartered, cut crosswise into 1/4 inch slices
1 tsp. finely grated orange peel
1 tsp. finely grated lemon peel
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/8 tsp. ground cardamom
1/8 tsp ground nutmeg
Melt butter in heavy medium skillet over medium-high heat. Add brown sugar. Cook until thick grainy sauce forms, about 1 minute. Mix in apples. Cook until apples are just tender and sauce is reduced to glaze, tossing often, about 7 minutes. Mix in all grated peel and spices. Cool at least 30 minutes.

Steps:

In a large mixer bowl thoroughly mix 2 cups flour, sugar, salt and undissolved yeast. In a small saucepan, combine milk, water and butter. Heat over low heat until very warm (120 to 130 degrees). Butter does not need to melt. Gradually add to dry ingredients and beat 2 minutes at medium speed, scraping the bowl occassionally. Add egg and 1 cup of flour and beat at high speed 2 minutes. Stir in enough additional flour (about 1 cup) to make a stiff batter. Cover bowl with foil. Refrigerate at least 2 hours. (I usually do it overnight.) Have your filling ready (recipes below) then: Grease 2 large cookie sheets. Then cover them with parchment paper. (You don't have to do the parchment paper, but I usually do, as the fillings are very runny.) Divide the dough in have, refrigerate half until ready to use. On a lightly floured surface (I use a marble rectangular surface) roll out the dough into a rectangle, about 11" x 10" or so. Place on cookie sheet. Then cut the dough crosswises down in 1 inch slices leaving a large chunk of the middle in tact. You are going to place the filling on the middle portion and cross the dough "sleeves" over the filling making a cross hatch pattern. Cover the cakes with plastic warp completely. Repeat with remaining dough. Let rise in warm place until doubled in bulk, about 50 minutes. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Bake 15 minutes. Then check the cakes and cover edges with foil if need be to ensure even browing and bake for about 10 minutes more, you judge. Let them cool a little and sprinkle the top lightly with confectioners sugar.