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Tuesday, July 6, 2010

Chocolate Streusel Coffee Cake



** Cheeky grin**

Why such a title?
This is a cake…
No....
this is a bread….
No…
This is a cake….
No….
I don’t know!!!!!

** Serious look**


Okok. Seriously I am confused too. The actual name of this is Danish Chocolate Streusel Coffee Cake.
I am very confused, there’s no Danish pastry in there, doesn’t look like a cake at all here, not a bit. So let’s take it as a bread. Or is there anyone that can answer me why is this thing called a cake. I think same goes for all the questions regarding why is banana cake usually called banana bread. Oh, this one I can answer, cos banana cake is considered a quick bread, leavened by baking powders/sodas instead of yeast. But why is this Chocolate Streusel Coffee Cake called a cake and not a bread???? Anyone out there???

But who cares what the name is… important is it’s YUMMY!!!!
The texture is so soft, the choc streusel’s heavenly. And the best is I only knead it by hand for 10 minutes!!!! The last time I baked bread was more than a year ago, in my collection of Sweet Buns. I was so into the sweet bun thingy, that I wanted to really learn how to make soft sweet buns, and I made it every few days until I really got the hang of the kneading process. 30 minutes by hand, my friends.. 30 minutes. When I finally got it, I said, no more sweet buns… for an indefinite period of time. My arms were very tired.

And now, my bread kneading has come out of it’s hibernation because of this site and was taken to the original recipe. I changed the recipe a bit, both ingredients and method (slightly only). My husband is no fan of cinnamon, so I used vanilla in both the cake?? and streusel.

 

Cake dough … not bread dough …LOL 
125ml milk
1 empty vanilla pod (seeds scraped for streusel filling)
1 and ½ tsp dry yeast
30ml water
Pinch of sugar
80gm butter (salted), slightly softened
40gm sugar
1 egg + 1 egg yolk
Small pinch of salt
350gm all purpose flour


1. Bring milk and vanilla pod to a boil. Leave to cool down to warm.
2. While milk is cooling down, proof yeast with water and pinch of sugar until very frothy.
3. Beat butter and sugar until pale and light.
4. Beat in egg yolk, then the whole egg until well incorporated.
5. Beat in ¼ of the flour. Then 1/3 of the milk. Beat until smooth
6. Repeat step 5 twice. Give it a good beating for 2 minutes.
7. Beat in the yeast mixture and the final ¼ of flour.
8. Transfer to your kneading table or basin and give it a good knead for 10 minutes by hand until smooth and elastic. (you can use your machine, of course, but it won’t 10 minutes, 5 or 6 will do)
9. Place in a buttered bowl, turn to coat, and cover with plastic wrap or a damp tea towel, leave to proof until double in size for about 1 hour (I just dumped the whole basin into my cool oven to proof)
10. Meanwhile do the streusel.

Streusel Filling
70gm sugar
Vanilla seeds from 1 vanilla pod
2 Tbsp all purpose flour
1 Tbsp cocoa powder
25gm melted butter

Pulse everything in a food processor except butter. (Or if you don’t have a food processor but only a blender like me, mix cocoa powder and flour together with a spoon until well combined. Pulse sugar and vanilla seeds in the mill for a few seconds. Combine sugar and flour mixture.) Drizzle melted butter over prepared dry ingredients and mix until well combined like fine chocolate crumbs. Leave aside until use.

Assembly:
1 egg white beaten until frothy
Almond slices

1. When dough, has risen to double in size, punch down and give it a good knead for 1-2 minutes. Leave it to sit for 5 minutes.
2. Roll out dough into a rectangle about 10X14 inch. Spread streusel mixture on top evenly,. Roll up dough and put dough seam side down on your lined baking tray.
3. With clean sharp scissors, snip ¾ inch intervals along the roll, cutting through ¾ of the dough only.
4. Start with one end, pull one piece of cut slice and twist it to the right. Take another cut slice and twist it to the left of the roll. Cut surfaces facing up. Repeat with all the the cut slices.
5. Leave to proof in a warm place for another 45 minutes or until doubled up again.
6. Preheat oven at 180C
7. Brush the loaves with the beaten egg white and sprinkle with almond flakes.
8. Put in preheated oven , close the door and immediately turn down the temperature to 160C. Bake for 30-35 minutes until golden brown.


After reading through, do you have the answer why this is called a cake?
I guess it’s due to the creaming method used in the earlier part of the recipe. Still… it’s very much a bread in my eyes. So, it'll be categorised at bread in my blog.

If you do not have access to vanilla beans, you can either follow the original recipe that uses cinnamon or just substitute with some vanilla extract. Please note that the cake/bread dough is soft and tacky, but not very sticky.


49 comments:

  1. This sweet bread/cake is one of my favourite! I am a big fan of butter yeast dough. Oops! :D

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  2. Wendy, I am so keen to bake a bread but so far no luck cos of kneading, no matter how long I knead seem not able to achieve the window panel test :(. I am going to try this recipe since only need to knead for 10 mins and the cake bread looks so soft and yummy, definately going to try it. Thanks for sharing!

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  3. For me, it look exactly like bread, this look so delicious, I will have it with a cup of coffee,YUM.Once I gather all the ingredients, must give this recipe a try. Thanks for sharing.

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  4. oh wow! this is the kind of bread I wouldn't tire of doing...

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  5. It's a kind of cake bread. Must be good. Looks good too.

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  6. This is a yeasted brochie recipe! And I have to tell you all, it tastes fabulous! Anyone who loves bread will definitely love this too. I'm the first one! hahaha.... Great job, Wendy! Hope you're having a fabulous day.
    Cheers, Kristy

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  7. It looks absolutely beautiful! Perfectly shaped!
    I'm so glad to hear you like the recipe, thank you for letting me know!

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  8. The same happened to me. I could see the comments in my email alert but they disappear on Blogger.

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  9. Wendy! I bother about categorizing things! I like clarity and organization among the clutters in my life! Haha! Actually, this is a cake, an ancient one. Back then, leaveners e.g. baking powder and baking soda hadn't been invented. So, people used yeast to leaven just about anything they baked lor ... That's why bakes such as kugelhupf and kuchen are leavened by yeast. =) So is our 白糖糕 and 馬來糕.

    Ah! Remember Mike doesn't like cinnamon and spices. I was surprised he and his friend still could swallow my molasses cookies that evening. Haha!

    Beautiful cakes! CAKES! You heard me! Keep it up! Hope to catch up with you sometime later. I hardly log on to MSN now due to my moodiness ... I'm jaded after work! Barely have time to even visit around with bloggers after work! =(

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  10. Anne,
    Because of the chocolate??? Haha!!! I know you love chocolate.

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  11. Sonia,
    Let me know if you made it, ok.

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  12. Kristy,
    The one that you did looked like a cake, but it's bread. This one looks like a bread, but called a cake. The brain just feels confused.
    If I made this in cake form, hmm.. maybe I can take in "cake".

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  13. Patricia,
    thanks for inspiring me to come out of bread making hibernation :)

    ReplyDelete
  14. Wendy, great mind think alike. I too made something similar two weeks ago but mine is not in a loaf and more like cinnamon rolls :) Yea this blogspot is a big 'sot sot' nowadays. I too have a lot of problem with it.

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  15. Yummy! Love lots of nuts atop...many different types of yeast cakes here...

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  16. This looks soooo yummy but also a challenge to make. I'm not a bake person. You are truly a gifted baker :)

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  17. many people are having the same problem with comments anyway, u r in some kind of food business ar?

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  18. Wendy, brioche is a kinda bread & cake too... just like German kutchen. But brioche contains of more eggs & butter. And that what makes it so tasty. I love anything yeasted anyway! haha... "tam chiak!" ^_^
    Kristy

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  19. Anh,
    I am too.. love super buttery breads

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  20. Jess,
    I understand what you mean, and if one doesn't get to that stage, the bread sticks to the teeth when eaten. Not nice. I also dread making bread by hand.

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  21. Busygran,
    the filling's super good, IMO.

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  22. Shirley,
    I guess it came back on normal today!!

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  23. Pei-Lin,
    Ancient cake huh. Then the person who started this should form it like a cake, not like a bread.

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  24. Icook4Fun,
    Hahaha, yea yea, we have great minds :)
    I hope the sot sot don't come again lor. Blogger better eat its medicine.

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  25. Angie,
    Hmmm.. lots eh... Maybe I missed some of your yeasted cakes recipe. I'll take note of them if you ever post them.

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  26. XiaoYen,
    No one is a born baker. I learnt from experiences and I'm sure you can too.

    ReplyDelete
  27. Manglish,
    What made you think I'm in the food business?
    My family was... but we sold of the kopitiam years ago, but it was only a kopitiam that serves "factory" bread with homemade kaya +real butter and lots of kopi susu and teh susu. Nothing more.

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  28. Kristy,
    If this thing is shaped round like a cake, I can totally accept it's name.
    But this thing is totally shaped like a bread.

    It's just like I can't accept a chicken with a duck face.

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  29. Lovely bread/cake! Thanks for sharing this, will try it when I have time. :)

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  30. Wendy,

    Never mind what it is called. Most importantly it is nice... looks very soft! I want some!

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  31. Wow what a gorgeous bread! It looks delicious!

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  32. Mr Lonely,
    thanks for coming by. You have a lovely blog too

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  33. Bee,
    Oh sure, let me know if you have made this

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  34. HomeKreation,
    sometimes we need clarification to cleap off the cloudiness in life :)
    I always searching for more wind to blow way my clouds.
    :)

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  35. Wow..def. will try this. I didn't realise that one had to knead for 30 minutes (for sweet buns). There are so many blogs out there saying 10 min is enuff!

    Well... I'll def. try this. You're right..kneading is hard work. For some reason, I feel it in my abs the next day!

    Well done wendy!

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  36. Mott,
    For Asian soft breads, 10 mins even with machine is never enough to reach the window pane stage. Asians love super soft breads which differs from out western counterparts.

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  37. Honey, that's what we called it creativity! Just out of the box and that is why food became more & more interesting! (fact of life) Accept it or you'll be left behind! ^_^
    Kristy

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  38. Hi Wendy,
    Beautiful "cake"! lol the step-by-step pictures looks so pretty. I haven't visited your blog for a while and I missed it while I was "gone". I'll add this to my to do list. Thanks. :)

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  39. Chuany


    Hai Wendy, me again, last night i made this cake :P

    Very delicious, finally i found another delish feeling for my bread.

    Thx alot for ur sharing. U are a very good Baker.

    If someday u make a book. I will buy IT. hahaha. lov U

    Here is mine

    http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc6/hs001.snc6/165117_1749731059911_1137880303_2525076_2585953_n.jpg

    Warm Regard

    Chuany

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  40. Looks delicious, i love your technique of making the coffee cake awesome.

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  41. can you break it down into cups?

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  42. Terri,
    Pls refer to the original recipe if you need it in cups.

    ReplyDelete

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