Raspberry Euphoria Coffee-Cake (or, if you prefer, Raspberry Ricotta Coffee-Cake with Cream Cheese Streusel)

By ctozzi

Ingredients

• Ingredients for the streusel topping, and glaze:
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. This can be made in a 9" round regular cake pan, or a 9" found springform pan.
• Butter your pan. Line the bottom with a round piece of parchment paper, then butter the parchment. Flour the inside of the whole pan, tapping out the excess.
• 3 oz. cold cream cheese, cut into 1/2" chunks
• 2 oz. cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/2" chunks
• 1/3 cup granulated sugar
• 1/3 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
• 1 small pinch salt (I used regular salt)
• 3 Tbsp. seedless raspberry jam (to drizzle atop the streusel when you assemble the cake)
• For the glaze:
• 1 cup (or more) confectioners' sugar
• 2 Tbsp. milk (add more if you'd like a thinner glaze)
• 1/8 tsp. almond extract (optional)
• Ingredients for the cake:
• 1 cup traditional ricotta cheese, not too cold
• 2 large eggs, room temperature
• 1/3 cup unsalted butter, melted but not hot
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
• 2 and 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp. baking powder
• 1/4 tsp. baking soda
• 1/2 tsp. coarse kosher salt
• 6 oz. fresh raspberries

Details

Adapted from keyingredient.com

Preparation

Step 1

Make the streusel first:
In a medium size bowl, mix the sugar, flour, and salt with a fork. Cut-in the cream cheese and butter chunks using a hand-held pastry blender or a couple of knives (you can even do this with your fingers if you're quick about it), until small visible chunks of miscellaneous size remain. Cover the bowl and chill the streusel while you prepare the batter.

Make the batter:
In a medium size bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt; set aside.

In the large bowl of your mixer, using the paddle attachment on medium-low speed, mix together the ricotta, eggs, melted butter, sugar, and vanilla until smooth; about two or three minutes.

Now on low speed, add the flour in gradually, mixing just until well combined for a minute or so.

Spread half the batter into your prepared pan.



Dot the batter with half the fresh raspberries and gently press them partway down into the batter.


Spoon the rest of the batter on top and smooth it out with a small offset spatula; scatter the remaining berries and gently press them into the batter.


Stir the chilled streusel with a fork, and evenly scatter all of it onto the top of the cake batter. Drizzle the seedless raspberry jam here and there in little streaks over the top of the streusel.


Bake the cake on the middle rack for about 35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out mostly dry. The cake should be just lightly golden on top, and more golden on the sides. The sides of the cake should look like they've begun to pull away from the sides of the pan.

While the cake is starting to cool, mix up the glaze. In a small bowl, stir together the confectioners' sugar, milk, and almond extract. Just
keep stirring until the glaze is completely smooth. Add more sugar if you'd like a thicker glaze; add slightly more milk if you prefer a thinner glaze.

Let the cake cool for 15 minutes, no more and no less, on a rack before attempting to remove it from the pan.


Run a thin knife or metal spatula around the sides of the pan. Place a plate over the top of the cake and quickly invert it, tapping firmly on the bottom of the pan to help knock it out. Lift off the pan, then place the cooling rack on the cake bottom; still holding firmly onto the plate, re-invert the cake back onto the rack to let it finish cooling.