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Almond Ring Coffee Cake 

One filling you can do is the original filling

Ingredients:

1 (7 ounce) tube almond paste

4 ounces of cream cheese, softened

½ cup (2ounces) confectioners’ sugar

For the filling beat the almond paste, soften cream cheese, and sugar together with an electric mixer on medium speed until smooth.  Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerator until ready to use.

Ingredients for the dough (it makes 2 rings each serving 6):

1 1/3cups of warm whole milk (110 degrees)

8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted and cooled

1/3 cup of honey

3 egg yokes

2 teaspoons of vanilla extract

5 cups all-purpose flour

1 envelope (2 ¼ teaspoons) instant or rapid-rise yeast

2 teaspoons of salt

To make the dough you first whisk the milk, melted butter, honey, egg yolks, and vanilla together in a large liquid measuring cup. Combine 4 ¾ cup of the flour, yeast, and salt in a mixer that has a dough hook on it. On low speed, add the mix mixture until the dough comes together about 2 minutes. Than increase the speed to medium and knead it until the dough is smooth and shiny for 5-7min. If after 5min you can add the remaining ¼ cup of flour if needed. It should come off the sides of the bowl but stick to the bottom.

Then, you put the dough on a lightly floured surface and knead by hand to form a smooth round ball. Place the dough in a lightly oil bowl and cover with plastic wrap and let it rise for 1 to 1 ½ hours in a warm draft free space and it should double in size.

Then you line two baking sheets with parchment paper. You take the dough dived it two piece after it has risen and you roll one piece at a time it out on a lightly floured surface into an 18 by 9-inch rectangle.

Spread the half of the filling in a 1 inch wide strip just above the bottom edge of dough. then you roll it into a tight log and pinch the seam closed. Then you put the log on the prepared baking sheets. Repeat with the remaining dough. Shape each dough cylinder into a ring and make 11 cuts around the outside of the dough with scissors. Then you twist each piece cut side up.  Mist the cakes with cooking spray, and wrap loosely in plastic wrap and let rise again in warm place until both cakes have double in sized and spring back when you slowly insert with a finger, 1 to ½ hours.

If you want to make this ahead of time. You shape the cakes as directed above except do not let it rise again. Refrigerate for up to 12 hours then you let them come to room temperature for about and 1 hour.  Bake the cakes in the oven at 375 degrees bush the rings with the egg whites. Let bake until deep brown, about 25 minutes, switching and rotating the pans half way through the baking. Let the cakes cool for 1 hour

Ingredients for the glaze on top:

3 large egg whites lightly beaten (on top of the cakes before baking)

½ cup (1 3/4/ sliced almonds (optional)

1 ½ cup of confectioner sugar

2 ounces cream cheese soften

2 tablespoons of milk

½ teaspoon vanilla extract

You whisk together the sugar, the cream cheese, milk, and the vanilla together in small bowl until smooth. Then you drizzle that on top with the almonds.

Here are two alternative fillings you can do

Apricot orange filling

Ingredients:

2 cups (10 ounces) dried apricots

1 cup of water

3 tablespoons of sugar

1 tablespoon grated fresh orange zest

3 tablespoons orange juice

2 tablespoons of rum (optional)

You bring the apricots, water and sugar to a boil in a medium sauce pan over medium high heat. Then you reduce the heat to medium and boil gently stirring occasionally until the apricots are soft and the water has nearly evaporated 16 to 18 min.

Then you transfer the apricots to a food processer and you add the orange zest, orange juice, and the rum (if using) and process until smooth for about 1 min. Let the mixture cool to room temperature before using.

Berry filling

Ingredients:

2 ½ cups (12 ½ ounce) fresh or frozen raspberries, blueberries, and black berry mixture

3 tablespoons of sugar

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

2 tablespoons of water

1 ½ tablespoon of cornstarch

Pinch of salt

Stir all the ingredients together in a medium sauce pan. Bring to a boil over medium heat and cook stirring occasionally until the mixture is thick and shiny about 2 min.  Let the mixture cool to room temperature before using.
Hint you can use the cream chesee filiing with the berry filling. That what me and my aunt did.