Sunday, March 27, 2011

Daring to do it: Yeasted Meringue Coffee Cake

The March 2011 Daring Baker’s Challenge was hosted by Ria of Ria’s Collection and Jamie of Life’s a Feast. Ria and Jamie challenged The Daring Bakers to bake a yeasted Meringue Coffee Cake.

This challenge was posted at the perfect time. I was in Florida visiting my family and was in the mood to make something special for dessert. I saw this recipe and was immediately drawn to it. I printed it up and showed it to my mother. She was intrigued, too. We made it on the first day. We then made it a second time before returning to PA. I then made it two more times, making a total of five different flavors for this one recipe! I don't think I have ever been drawn to a challenge recipe in this way. Sure, there are others that I have made a couple of times, and there are a few more which I plan to make again. But I made this one four times, with five different flavors...! All during the course of the challenge month! And I can't wait to make it again! I honestly think that the reason this is such a great recipe is that it is one which was found in a family collection. Jamie found it when going through her father's things - undated, uncredited... but SO good!
Having made bread before, I was not intimidated by the yeast dough. I was a little curious at the hosts' description of the dough as being "soft, smooth, sexy and elastic." Sexy? Bread dough? As odd as the word choice might have seemed, it was dead on. This dough was so smooth, so sexy, I loved working with it. Clearly!!
For the explanation of this recipe/the fun picture part, I'll show you the dough process from the first time, then I will just show you the variations I did, along with any changed I may have made. I was super thrilled with how easy it was to play with this recipe - different flours, varying amounts of sugar, different types of milks... All versions led to amazing cakes!
The dough starts with warmed milk and butter. For this first version I used rice milk and margarine. (That way the resulting cakes would be parve.)













Once risen, the dough is divided into two parts to make two different loaves. For this first time through I made a cinnamon and chocolate version. The dough is rolled out, then meringue is spread over it. I then sprinkled cinnamon-sugar over the meringue, then chocolate chips were generously added and the soon-to-be loaves were rolled up jelly roll style. The recipe calls for the rolled up dough to be formed into a wreath (like in the stollen challenge from a few months ago), which I did with one of the sections. For the other, though, I folded it into a loaf pan so it would be more like a babka. (If you don't know what a babka is, it is a yeasted and twisted filled cake. Love it!) The cakes rise again, and are then painted with egg wash and baked.
They came out of the over beautifully. We cut into the babka loaf that night, and were rewarded with an amazingly soft, light and chocolaty cake that was almost impossible to resist! I knew right then that I would be making this recipe again...
I just didn't know how many times!

And now for the variations:
I made a strawberries and meringue wreath with part whole wheat flour:
I made a savory spinach and cheese braid, mixing ricotta cheese in with the meringue, and filling with sauteed spinach, onion and garlic, and sprinkling with shredded cheese:
I made a chocolate peanut butter loaf version, using this recipe for peanut butter meringue and plenty of chocolate chips:
And I made a lemon meringue wreath version, adding lemon zest to the meringue and filling the cake with lemon curd:Thank you so much Jamie and Ria for hosting such an amazing challenge. And thank you, Jamie for sharing this recipe, which could have been a family secret, but you let us in. This has truly been one of the best challenges in in the year since I became a member.

I highly recommend that you look here to see the amazing creations made by my fellow Daring Bakers. But be sure you have a napkin ready to wipe up the drool!!

22 comments:

  1. Looks beautiful!!! wonderfully done and perfect. Great job on the challenge.

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  2. Love all your flavors! But my favorite would have to be the savory spinach and cheese braid with ricotta! Great job on this challenge!

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  3. Just like you did, I loved the versatility of this dough. Great job on the all the different flavors!

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  4. Ruth, your enthusiasm in the forum was contagious! All your versions are just awesome, and I would get a slice of each! I have to say that your strawberry cake was absolutely daring!!
    Thank you so much for your lovely comment and encouragement, I really appreciate it!

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  5. It is a beautiful dough and wow! You made so many versions. Strawberry is perfect with meringue.

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  6. Five? That's a lot and they sounds (and look) very beautiful and tasty! Especially the peanut butter one - I love peanut butter :D I was quite surprised about the adjective sexy, too, but now I think it describes the dough perfectly, it really is a sexy dough :D

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  7. What a great variety of fillings you chose! I loved working with this dough too, and will definitely make it again in the future. I think your lemon curd version looks nicer than mine, but right now I'd like a slice of the strawberry one!
    :)

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  8. You did a fantastic job! Did you sweeten the meringue in the spinach and ricotta one or was it just whipped egg white?

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  9. Well done on trying out so many fillings - and they are all quite different!

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  10. Hands down...the spinach/ricotta and the lemon versions are my fave! Awesome job on this challenge :) Thanks for checking mine out!

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  11. I'm all about the savory yeasted cakes right now (ate too many cinnamon rolls lol), and your spinach and cheese version sounds so moth watering. They all look phemonenal and tomorrow I'll want the peanut butter and chocolate :)

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  12. Wow, that's a lot of yeasted meringue cakes! Congratulations on a job amazingly well done! It looks like you could have a fight on your hands over some of those varieties - I'll be right in there, trying to get a piece of that strawberry meringue cake! Yum! :) stacy

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  13. Wow! They all look great - I'll bet the lemon merigue was delicious! I loved working with this dough & will make it again. Looking forward to the next challenge!

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  14. You went to town and had a party with the challenge Ruth! WOW...so many fun flavours. Well done!

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  15. Five different flavours! Well done. I like the lemon one best of all. Yum, yum.

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  16. Five versions but the spinach one is really appealing to me I love spinach and cheese I will have to make it soon. Yes I can understand why you made five of them the dough is so sexy it wants to be made into something - a wonderful creation to be eaten. Bravo to you and kudos on your results.

    Cheers from Audax in Sydney Australia.

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  17. yummmmmmmmmmmmm
    love your savory version! The flavour combination is perfect! And turned out so beautiful!
    I'm sure I'll make it!

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  18. You made 5 versions awesome. Love it. I too enjoyed making them. You done well , all are delicious and perfect.

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  19. 5 versions!! Impressive to say the least. the chocolate peanut butter one sounds like it would be good. Best, Sandie

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  20. So which one would you say was your favourite?? I would have a hard time deciding! I love the sound of it filled with lemon curd, mmmm! I also like the look of the savoury spinach and ricotta braid. You done so well, you really should be pleased with yourself!

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  21. I agree, definitely the sexiest bread dough I've worked with! How fantastic that you made so many. They all sound stunning, particularly the choc and pb (droooool) and the lemon meringue. Your loaves all look really beautiful too.

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  22. I love spinach and cheese, your braided loaf looks fantastic!

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