CAKE - Cream Cheese Coffee Cake

By Aemelia

Ingredients

• CAKE:
• 2 1/4 cups flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp salt
• 10 tbsp(1 stick + 2 tbsp) unsalted butter, softened
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 tbsp lemon zest
• 4 large eggs
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 1/4 cups sour cream
• Cream cheese filling:
• 8 oz cream cheese – I used the low fat cream cheese
• 3 tbsp sugar
• 4 tbsp lemon juice
• Lemon Sugar-Almond Topping:
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1 1/2 tsp lemon zest
• 1/2 cup sliced almonds

Details

Adapted from mykitchensnippets.com

Preparation

Step 1

1. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 350 degrees. Greased a 10” tube pan. Get ready the lemon sugar topping. Rub together sugar and lemon zest in small bowl until combined and sugar is moistened. Stir in almonds and set aside.
2. Combined flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together in medium bowl; set aside. In stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment, beat butter sugar and lemon zest at medium speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes.
3. Add eggs 1 at a time, beating well after each addition, about 20 seconds, and scraping down beater and sides of bowl as necessary. Add in the vanilla and mix to combine.
4. Reduce speed to low and add one-third flour mixture, followed by half of sour cream, mixing until incorporated after each addition. Repeat, using half of remaining flour mixture and all of remaining sour cream. Scrape bowl and add remaining flour mixture; mix at low speed until batter is thoroughly combined.
5. Reserve 1 1/4 cups batter and set aside. Spoon remaining batter into prepared pan and smooth top.
6. Using the same mixing bowl beat cream cheese, remaining 3 tbsp sugar, lemon juice, on medium speed until smooth and slightly lightened, about 1 minute. Add ¼ cup of the reserved batter and mix until incorporated.
7. Spoon cheese filling mixture evenly over batter in the pan, keeping filling about 1 inch from edges of pan; smooth top. Spread remaining 1 cup of the reserved batter over filling and smooth the top.
8. With butter knife or offset spatula, gently swirl filling into batter using figure-8 motion, being careful to not drag filling to bottom or edges of pan. Firmly tap pan on counter 2 or 3 times to dislodge any bubbles. Sprinkle lemon sugar-almond topping evenly over batter and gently press into batter to adhere.
9. Bake until top is golden and just firm, and skewer inserted into cake comes out clean (skewer will be wet if inserted into cheese filling), 55 minutes to an hour. Remove pan from oven (top of cake may sink slightly). Cool cake in pan on wire rack at least 2 hours.
10. Gently remove cake from the tube pan and cut into slices and serve.