Ultimate coffee cake you say? YUP! This is without a doubt the yummiest coffee cake you will ever eat. For many years I have been trying to duplicate a coffee cake that I purchase every year at a craft show here in the Twin Cities. Their cakes are the best I've ever had. The problem is he is located in another state and to have them shipped might be a little expensive. I tried and tried and tried and after many attempts, I just gave up.
This Christmas I made my favorite cinnamon coffee Bundt cake for the family. I always use a tried and true recipe that an old friend gave me oh so many years ago. I love this recipe because it's so moist and delicious. The family always loves this coffee cake.
While I was making the cinnamon Bundt coffee cake, a light bulb went off in my brain. Could this recipe be turned into a single layer coffee cake like the ones I purchase at the craft show? The challenge was on once again. I absolutely love their raspberry cream cheese coffee cake. So this was the one I was going to try and duplicate. After a few tweaks and a few additions, I created what I consider the Raspberry Cream Cheese Coffee Cake "copycat" recipe...so delicious! It was finally a success!!!
Once I got the result I wanted, I thought holy cow the sky is the limit on this one. You could use fruit, or cinnamon sugar, or chocolate or whatever flavor you love. The base ingredients and technique are what make this coffee cake so moist and so very delicious. Maybe in another post I'll make a different coffee cake to show how versatile this recipe can be. In the meantime, I think you will enjoy the Raspberry Cream Cheese Coffee Cake and the Cinnamon Nut Coffee Bundt Cake, which was my inspiration in the first place. When you have a great recipe, it's so much fun to share with others.
In order to recreate the raspberry coffee cake, I added a cream cheese mixture to the top, along with a raspberry cake and pie filling. I purchased my raspberry filling at a Mennonite store in Wisconsin. Their prices are so good. You can purchase a 32 oz. plastic pouch for less than a can of raspberry pie filling. You can also purchase the Solo cake & pastry filling at Walmart or you can make your own. There are many recipes out there for raspberry cake filling. I use a filling from Chelsey White at chelsweets.com that is so good and extremely easy. I also added a sugar, flour and butter mixture to sprinkle on the top of the coffee cake to give it a little crunch.
You will also need a springform pan to make this coffee cake. They can be purchased on the internet or big box stores.
So Let's Make a Raspberry Cream Cheese Coffee Cake...
Raspberry Cream Cheese Coffee Cake
Ingredients for Cream Cheese topping:
- 1 8 oz. package cream cheese (room temperature)
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1 large egg (I didn't have another egg, so I used 1/4 cup of yogurt...a great substitution for an egg.
Instructions:
- Beat all ingredients together and place mixture in a cake decorating piping bag (You can purchase these bags at Walmart or use a plastic freezer bag. (Make sure you seal the top and when ready to use, just cut off one corner of the bag and pipe onto the cake batter).
- Set aside until your cake mixture is made.
- Also fill another cake decorating piping bag, or plastic freezer bag with raspberry filling and seal the top until ready to use.
Note: Just a reminder...you can find a great raspberry filling recipe at Chelsey White at chelsweets.com.
Ingredients for Sugar Crunch Topping:
- 1/4 c. sugar
- 1/4 c. brown sugar
- 2-3 T. flour
- 3 T. very cold butter
Instructions:
- Mix the sugar, brown sugar, and flour in a small bowl.
- Cut in the butter until you can squeeze it and it stays together.
- Place in refrigerator until needed.
Ingredients for Cake:
- 1 yellow or white cake mix
- 1 sm. pkg. vanilla instant pudding
- 3/4 cup oil
- 3/4 cup water
- 4 eggs (1 at a time, mixing between each egg addition)
- - Add ingredients in the order they are written and then beat for 8 minutes. (Yes, 8 minutes)
- Then add:
- 1 tsp. vanilla
- 1 tsp. butter flavored extract (I used almond) I like the taste better
- - Then beat for 3 more minutes (Yes, 3 more minutes)
Instructions for Cake:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees
- Grease and flour a springform pan and set aside until your cake mixture is done.
- Pour the cake mixture into the springform pan. If using a small springform pan only fill to half. Use the remaining batter for cupcakes.
- Take piping bag of cream cheese and start making a spiral all away around the cake. Then take the piping bag filled with raspberry filling and make another spiral around the cream cheese mixture.
- Bake for 50-60 minutes or until toothpick inserted comes out clean. Note: After 10 minutes of baking pull cake out of oven and sprinkle with the sugar mixture from the refrigerator on top of cake and finish baking.
- If the top is browning too fast, lay a piece of aluminum foil on top. This cake is dense and needs more time in the oven rather than less.
You won't be sorry that you tried this wonderful coffee cake. Now I don't have to wait for the craft show to get that wonderful Raspberry Cream Cheese coffee cake. I can make my own!
Now on to the Original Cinnamon Nut Coffee Cake...
Cinnamon Nut Coffee Bundt Cake
This was the recipe that my Raspberry Cream Cheese coffee cake became a reality.
The base ingredients for this Bundt cake are the same as for the Raspberry Cream Cheese coffee cake.
Ingredients for Cake:
- 1 yellow or white cake mix
- 1 sm. pkg. vanilla instant pudding
- 3/4 cup oil
- 3/4 cup water
- 4 eggs (1 at a time, mixing between each egg addition)
- - Add ingredients in the order they are written and then beat for 8 minutes. (Yes, 8 minutes)
- Then add:
- 1 tsp. vanilla
- 1 tsp. butter flavored extract (I used almond) I like the taste better
- - Then beat for 3 more minutes (Yes, 3 more minutes)
Ingredients for Nut Mixture:
- 3/4 cup nuts (I used walnuts, but you can use any nuts)
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1 T. cinnamon
- 1-2 T. cold butter
Mix nuts, sugar and cinnamon together. Cut the butter into the mixture until there are clumps when you squeeze the mixture. Place in refrigerator until ready to layer in the cake.
Instructions for Cake:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees
- Grease and flour a Bundt pan and set aside until your cake mixture is done.
- Layer the cake batter and nut mixture as follows: 1/3 cake batter, 1/3 nut mixture, 1/3 cake batter, 1/3 nut mixture, 1/3 cake batter and 1/3 nut mixture. Note: After layering, you have the option of marbling the cake batter and the nut mixture into the coffee cake if you like.
- Bake for 40-50 minutes or until toothpick inserted into cake comes out clean.
Final Thoughts...
Such an easy recipe for two delicious coffee cakes. One was created in a springform pan and the other in a Bundt pan. Either way, these coffee cakes are the "Ultimate". You will not be disappointed with these two winners. It took me awhile to figure it out, but I finally did. It was all about the cake batter and technique. I think you could make a dozen different coffee cakes from this one little cake batter recipe.
I do hope that if you love coffee cake, you will try these. I consider them the "Ultimate"!
