Cream Cheese Coffee Cake

This recipe is one of my old standby recipes for whenever I’m having people over. It’s a sure-fire winner and everyone seems to love it (and most people request the recipe) Add to that, it’s pretty simple to make and most of the ingredients I always have on hand and it’s a winner for me.

It makes a 13×9 sized pan full of yummy, creamy goodness. Perfect with a cup of tea or coffee and some good friends and good conversation.

I made it just this week when I had some ladies over – and shared the leftovers with my neighbors. Which is part of why I’m posting the recipe here – my sweet neighbor’s son requested the recipe.

It may look complicated when you first look at the recipe below, but trust me, it’s simple. And you can have it in the oven in about 10 minutes if you have all the ingredients at room temperature when you’re ready to begin. It goes together a lot better when the cream cheese and butter are soft.

So, CB, this is for YOU!

Cream Cheese Coffee Cake

Filling:

2 8 ounce packages of cream cheese (I use low-fat)
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 tsp. of vanilla extract
1/2 tsp. of almond extract (optional)
1 egg

Cake:

3 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter (softened)
1 cup sugar
4 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 tsp. almond extract (optional)
1 cup sour cream (you can use light or regular)

Streusel topping:

1/4 c sugar
1/4 c flour
3 Tbsp. butter (CHILLED AND CUBED)

Glaze:

1/2 c powdered sugar
3 tsp. milk

Preheat oven to 350.
Spray a 9×13 pan and set aside.
In a small mixing bowl, combine the filling ingredients (use an electric mixer for the best mix possible). Set aside.
In another mixing bowl, combine the cake ingredients, beginning with the butter and sugar.
Add the eggs one at a time and the extracts.
Finally, add the dry ingredients alternately with the sour cream.
Spread half of the cake batter in the 9×13 pan.
Add the cream cheese filling on top of the batter, spreading carefully with a spatula (offset spatulas work great for this)
Top the cream cheese mixture with the remaining cake batter.
Use a fork or spatula to “swirl” the batter/cream cheese once or twice.
In another small bowl, use a pastry blender or fork (or your hand held mixer if you have a low setting) to combine the topping mixture. Be careful not to over mix. It should look like “sandy gravel” when it’s properly combined.
Sprinkle the streusel topping over the cake.
Bake for 40-45 minutes until the top is golden brown and the center is cooked. (You can tell by inserting a toothpick – if it comes out clean, it’s done.)
Let cake cool for about an hour and make the glaze.
Drizzle glaze over the cooled cake and let set before serving (if you can wait that long!)