Honey-almond coffee cake

By Patricia_Scarpin

Ingredients

• Almond topping:
• 1 package (2 1/4 teaspoons) active dry yeast
• 1/4 cup (60ml) warm water (105º to 115ºF/40º to 46ºC)
• pinch of granulated sugar + 1/3 cup (67g)
• 1/2 cup (120ml) milk
• 8 tablespoons (1 stick/113g) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 1/2 to 2 3/4 cups (350 to 385g) unbleached all purpose or bread flour – I used 400g all purposed flour
• 3 large eggs
• 2 tablespoons grated lemon zest
• 1 teaspoon almond extract
• 1/3 cup (58g) firmly packed light brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons honey
• 2 tablespoons (28g) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 2 tablespoons heavy cream
• 3/4 cup sliced almonds

Details

Servings 10

Preparation

Step 1

In a small bowl, sprinkle the yeast over the water, sprinkle with the pinch of sugar and stir to dissolve. Let stand until foamy, about 10 minutes.

In a small saucepan, heat the milk and butter over low heat until the butter melts. Combine the 1/3 cup sugar and the salt in a large bowl and pour the milk mixture over; let cool to warm, 105º to 115ºF/40º to 46ºC. Stir in the yeast mixture. Using a wooden spoon or a heavy-duty electric mixer, add 1 cup of the flour and beat until smooth. Add the eggs and beat until blended. Beat in the lemon zest and almond extract. Gradually add enough of the remaining 1 ½ to 1 ¾ cups flour to make a soft dough. Turn the dough out onto a floured board and knead until smooth and elastic, 8-10 minutes – the dough was too soft for kneading and to avoid adding more flour I did the whole process using my Kitchen Aid with the hook attachment.

Place the dough in a lightly buttered bowl, turn to coat and cover with plastic wrap or a damp tea towel - I did not turn it, since it was very soft- I just lightly sprinkled the top with flour to avoid sticking. Let rise in a warm place until doubled in size, about 1 ½ hours.

Butter a 12 inch (30cm) round cake pan, preferably with a removable bottom.

Punch down the dough. Turn out onto a floured board and knead lightly until smooth, 1-2 minutes. Place the dough on the prepare pan and press it with your fingers until it occupies the whole pan. Cover with a tea towel and let rise until doubled in size, about 1 hour.

Preheat the oven to 180ºC/350ºF. Bake the bread for 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, make the almond topping: in a small saucepan, combine the brown sugar, honey, butter and cream. Place over medium heat and cook, stirring, until thickened, about 3 minutes. Stir in the almonds. Remove the bread from the oven and carefully spread the topping over it. Bake for 10-15 minutes longer, or until nicely browned – since the topping made the bread brown already, I inserted a knife into it to check for doneness.
Let cool for 5 minutes, then unmold right side up on a wire rack and let cool completely.
Cut into wedges to serve.