Raspberry Cream Cheese Coffee Cake

I love making desserts, but I love making breakfast treats, too. So when it's someone's birthday at work, I give her the option of breakfast treat or dessert treat. This was made for a colleague's recent birthday and was a HUGE hit. Of course, any treat mid morning is a wonderful decadence, but when it's a beautiful coffee cake with a cream cheese and fruity layer, topped with almondy streusel, well, then, everyone is a winner, birthday girl or not.

Start by preparing the fruit filling. Combine the raspberries and apple juice in a medium saucepan.



Bring to a slow boil and cook for a few minutes, until raspberries soften. In a small bowl, combine the cornstarch with a teaspoon of water and stir until dissolved. Add this to the raspberries,



and cook and stir until slightly thickened, about 1-2 minutes. Set aside and let the berry mixture cool to room temperature. Meanwhile, in the bowl of a food processor, combine the flour and 3/4 cup of the sugar and pulse just to mix. Add in the cubed butter



and pulse until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. (If you don't have a food processor, just cut in the butter using two knives or a pastry blender.) Reserve 1/2 cup of the flour/butter mixture, and place the rest in a large bowl. To the large batch, add the baking powder, soda, salt and lemon peel.



In a large measuring cup, combine the yogurt, 1 egg and the vanilla and stir well. Add the yogurt mixture to the flour/lemon peel mixture



and stir until all the dry ingredients are moistened. Press this batter into a greased springform pan. (It will be sticky, and you'll probably have to use your fingers!)

For the cream cheese layer, combine the cream cheese, remaining sugar and egg and lemon juice



in the bowl of the food processor (or a mixer). Pulse or mix until smooth. Pour the cream cheese mixture over the batter in the pan,



leaving a small border around the edge.



Pour the raspberry mixture over the cream cheese layer.



Add the almonds to the reserved flour/butter mixture, and sprinkle the topping around the edge of the coffee cake.



Bake the cake for 35-45 minutes until the top is golden and the middle is just a little bit shaky. Transfer to a wire rack and let cool for 15 minutes before removing the sides of the pan.



Serve warm or at room temperature. (If you like, you can make a little traditional glaze to drizzle over the top - I just used about 1/3 cup powdered sugar and 1 teaspoon of milk, and whisked together, then spooned over the top.)

One year ago: Bananas Foster Bread
Two years ago: Tiramisu
Three years ago: Shrimp LoMein

Find more great stuff at Mop it Up Monday, Mix it Up Monday, Melt in Your Mouth Monday, On the Menu Monday, Seasonal Inspiration, Tasty Tuesday, Tempt my Tummy Tuesday, Tasteful Tuesday, Tuesday Talent Show, Clever Chicks.

Raspberry Cream Cheese Coffee Cake

1 cup frozen raspberries
1/4 cup apple juice
1 tsp. cornstarch
2 cups flour
1 cup sugar, divided
1/2 cup cold butter, cut into chunks
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
1 tsp. grated lemon peel
1 - 6 oz. container plain or vanilla yogurt
1 tsp. vanilla
2 eggs, divided
6 ounces cream cheese, softened (low fat is fine)
1 tsp. lemon juice
1/2 cup sliced almonds

In small saucepan over medium heat, bring raspberries and apple juice to a boil. Lower heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, 3 minutes. In a small bowl, blend cornstarch and 1 teaspoon water. Add to berry mixture; stir until it simmers and thickens, about 1 minute. Let cool to room temperature.

In a bowl or food processor, mix flour and 3/4 cup sugar. Add butter to flour mixture. Cut in with a pastry blender or pulse until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Reserve 1/2 cup; pour remaining into a large bowl. Stir in baking powder, baking soda, salt, and lemon peel.

In a bowl, mix yogurt, vanilla, and 1 egg until blended; stir into flour-baking powder mixture until incorporated. Spread batter in a greased 9-inch springform pan.

In a bowl or food processor, beat or pulse cream cheese, remaining 1/4 cup sugar, remaining egg, and lemon juice until smooth. Spread over batter in pan, leaving a 1/2-inch border bare. Gently spread raspberry mixture over cream cheese mixture, leaving some visible. Stir almonds into reserved flour mixture and sprinkle over cake, concentrating most around edge of batter.

Bake at 350 until center of cake barely jiggles when pan is gently shaken and top of cake is golden brown, 30 to 40 minutes. Let cool on a rack for 15 minutes, then remove pan rim. Drizzle with simple icing if desired. Serve warm or at room temperature. Serves 8-10