Thanksgiving Coffee Cake Makes Two Food

THANKSGIVING COFFEE CAKE (MAKES TWO)

Steps:

• Dissolve the yeast in the water. Add 1/2 cup of the all-purpose flour. Let sit for 10 minutes to give the yeast a chance to get going. Add the milk, eggs, sugar, extract, orange oil, butter, and salt. Stir to mix well.
• Add the flour, one cup at a time, until the dough forms a shaggy mass. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured counter and knead it to form a smooth and satiny ball. Add more flour as necessary to keep the dough from sticking to the counter. Place the dough in a bowl and pour the melted butter on top. Spread the butter over the dough with your fingertips. Cover the dough with plastic wrap or a damp towel. Let the dough rise in a warm spot until it has doubled in size. This will take about 1 1/2 hours.
• Punch the dough down and turn it out onto a lightly floured counter. Divide the dough into two pieces and knead each one briefly to expel any air bubbles. Roll each piece of dough into a rectangle 1/4" thick, 6" wide and 15" long. Spread each rectangle with filling. Leave a 1" border on the two long edges.
• Roll each rectangle up, starting with the long edge. Place each log on a cookie sheet that has been lined with parchment paper. Join the ends of the log together to form a circle. Pinch well to seal the ends together.
• Let the coffee cakes rise for 15 minutes. Make several parallel slashes 1" deep in each coffee cake. Let rise again, this time for 20 minutes.
• Bake in a preheated 350°F oven for 25 minutes. Let cool for at least 15 minutes before cutting.
• Almond Apricot Filling.
• 2 cups boiling water.
• 2 8-oz. boxes dried apricots.
• 2/3 cup granulated sugar.
• 2 teaspoons almond extract.
• Pour the boiling water over the apricots and cover with plastic wrap so that they can steam. When the apricots have softened, drain them. You can reserve the flavored water for bread dough if you wish. Combine the apricots, sugar, and extract in a food processor and pulse until you have a thick puree. Yield: Filling for two loaves.

SWEDISH CARDAMOM COFFEE CAKE

Steps:

• Heat oven to 350°F.
• Grease a 9-inch tube or bundt pan with butter; dust with cookie crumbs, set aside.
• Combine flour and baking soda in a small bowl; set aside.
• Mix sugar and butter with an electric mixer until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes; add eggs, one at a time, beating after each addition, about 5 minutes total.
• Beat in cardamom and cinnamon; add flour mixture; beat until just combined; add sour cream, beat until smooth, about 1 minute.
• Pour batter into pan.
• Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean, about 50 minutes.
• Let stand 5 minutes; turn out on a wire rack; cool completely.
• Dust with confectioners' sugar.

THANKSGIVING CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°. In a large bowl, combine the cake mixes, eggs, pumpkin, oil and milk; beat on low speed for 30 seconds. Beat on medium for 2 minutes. Stir in baking chips. Fill 2 greased muffin cups two-thirds full. Pour remaining batter into 2 greased and floured 12-cup fluted tube pans., Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, 20 minutes for cupcakes and 40-45 minutes for cakes. Cool in pans, 25 minutes; remove to wire racks to cool completely., Level the bottom of each cake. Spread 1 cake bottom with frosting; place cake bottoms together to form a pumpkin. Set aside. , Combine red and yellow food coloring to make orange; tint about three-fourths of the frosting. Tint remaining frosting green., Place 1 cupcake right side up in the center of the cake to support the stem. Place a dollop of green frosting on the cupcake and top with an upside-down cupcake; frost with green frosting. Frost the cake with orange frosting., With green frosting, pipe curly vines and leaves. Combine coconut with green food coloring; sprinkle around base of cake.