Blackberry Coffee Cake

Anytime we visit Ryan's parents, there is bound to be a lot of good food there.  Usually we eat enough in one weekend that we shouldn't need to eat for a week...but then they send us home with even more food and it doesn't stop. :) One of my favorite recipes that my mother-in-law makes for us is this blackberry coffee cake.  I was almost scared to try to make it myself because I didn't want to ruin it - she makes it so well! 

It feels a little bit like eating dessert for breakfast....which I'm completely okay with. But it does have fruit in it - so that makes it healthy, right?  The other great thing is that these blackberries were hand picked by my mother-in-law!  She picks a ton of berries in the summer and then packages them up and freezes them...and she is kind enough to share the wealth.  So, thank you to my mother-in-law for the berries and this recipe!

Blackberry Coffee Cake                      

Makes 2, 9-inch coffee cakes

Dough

1 pkg yeast (2 1/4 tsp)

1/2 c. warm water (105- 115 degrees)

1/2 c. lukewarm milk

1/3 c. sugar

1/3 c. butter softened

1 tsp salt

1 egg

3 1/2-4 c. bread flour

Dissolve yeast in warm water. If using bread machine, add ingredients directly to bread pan in order listed and mix on “dough” setting.

If not using bread machine:  Stir dissolved yeast with milk, sugar, butter, salt, egg and 2 c. flour.  Mix in remaining flour.  Knead dough until smooth and elastic, about 5 min.  Place in greased bowl, turn greased side up.  Cover and let rise in warm place until double - about 1 1/2 hours.  Dough is ready when indentation remains when touched.  

While dough is rising, prepare the berry filling and cream cheese filling.  The berries should be mostly cooled before adding them in the cakes.   

When the dough is done rising, divide dough in 1/2 and roll each half into 15" circle.  Fold into 1/4's and place in two 9" greased round pans.  Point of dough should be in center of pan.  Unfold, press dough against sides, allowing edge of dough to hang over pan (approx. 2" or so)  Spread 1/2 of cream cheese mixture in each pan and top with berry mixture, Make cuts in dough, 1" apart around the outside edge of dough...to pan.   Twist opposite strips and meet in the middle and press together to seal.

Beat egg white until foamy and brush over dough.  Cover and let rise in warm place 45 minutes. Cover pans loosely with foil and bake at 325 degrees for 30-35 minutes. If middle still seems doughy, bake for a few extra minutes, checking often.

Berry filling:

4 c. blackberries

1/2 c. sugar

3 Tbsp cornstarch

Directions: 

Mix cornstarch with sugar and then cook with berries until thick

Cream cheese filling:

8 oz cream cheese

1/4 c. sugar

3 Tbsp flour

1 egg yolk

Directions: 

Mix ingredients until smooth. 

Frosting:  

(makes enough for both coffee cakes – if only serving one and freezing the other, cut the frosting recipe in half and frost right before serving)

3 cups powdered sugar

1/3 cup butter, softened

1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract

1 to 2 tablespoons milk

Directions:

In medium bowl, mix powdered sugar and butter with spoon or electric mixer on low speed. Stir in vanilla and 1 tablespoon of the milk.

Gradually beat in just enough remaining milk to make frosting smooth and spreadable. If frosting is too thick, beat in more milk, a few drops at a time. If frosting becomes too thin, beat in a small amount of powdered sugar.