Heavenly Swedish Christmas Almond Coffeecake

The Holiday season is in full swing! Between decorating, baking, shopping, and all sorts of planning for special meals, oftentimes Christmas breakfast is overlooked. Think about enjoying this delicious treat with coffee or hot chocolate for your special breakfast before the whirlwind of package unwrapping begins.

When I first saw this recipe for Swedish almond coffeecake in the King Arthur Flour magazine, my first thought was that this was a Christmas-morning-worthy treat. My second thought was that I needed to try this out right away because I believe that everything with an almond filling is so delicious.

The brioche-like sweet dough comes together quickly, especially with the help of a stand mixer. It is very easy to work and it rolls out like a charm. Once the dough is rolled out, the toasted almond, sugar, and butter filling is spread over it and then the dough is rolled up into a log, enclosing the filling. Shaping the coffee cake into a wreath is really fun and a good technique to learn–you can use it for any filled sweet roll recipe.

Here are the steps:

Step 1: Shape the dough into a circle and cut it about 3/4 of the way through the log, from the outside toward the center, using a pair of kitchen scissors.

Step 2: Turn the slices on their sides, pulling every other one to the inside of the circle. Let it rise until puffy. Step 3: Brush the coffeecake wreath with egg wash and bake until golden brown. Step 4: A light drizzle of a simple glaze is the last touch, along with a sprinkling of toasted almonds.

Heavenly Swedish Christmas Almond Coffeecake

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Prep time

45 mins

Cook time

30 mins

Total time

1 hour 15 mins

A festive almond coffeecake for the holidays, that can be made ahead of time!

Author: King Arthur Flour

Recipe type: Breakfast/Brunch

Serves: 12

Ingredients

The Dough
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
¼ cup granulated sugar
½ teaspoon salt
¾ cup milk
2 teaspoons instant yeast or active dry yeast
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 cups King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
The Almond Filling
1 large egg white (reserve the yolk)
⅓ cup granulated sugar
⅛ teaspoon salt
1½ cups toasted almond flour or ground almonds
4 teaspoons King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
2 tablespoon melted unsalted butter
⅛ teaspoon almond extract
2 to 2½ teaspoons milk
The Egg Wash
1 large egg yolk (from above) beaten with 1 tablespoon water
The Glaze
½ cup confectioners' sugar, sifted
1 tablespoon milk, water, rum, or brandy
1 teaspoon lemon zest or ⅛ teaspoon almond extract
Toasted almond slices, for garnish

Instructions

For the dough: Place the butter, sugar, and salt in a large mixing bowl. Bring the milk to a simmer on the stove or in the microwave and pour over the ingredients in the bowl. Stir briefly and allow to cool to lukewarm.
When the mixture has cooled, stir in the yeast, egg, and vanilla. Add the flour and mix until a soft dough forms. Knead the dough for 6 minutes in a mixer or 8 minutes by hand. Cover and let rise until doubled, about 45 minutes to 1 hour.
For the filling: In a medium bowl, whisk together the egg white, sugar, and salt. Stir in the toasted almond flour and all-purpose flour.
Add the melted butter, almond extract, and 2 teaspoons of milk. The filling should be quite thick but spreadable, about the consistency of peanut butter. Add a little more milk if needed to achieve the desired consistency.
To assemble: Roll out the dough on a greased surface to a rectangle 24"wide and 10" tall. Spread the filling over the dough in a thin layer, leaving 1" of both long edges uncovered. Roll up the dough from one long edge to the other, pinching it together to seal it.
Transfer the dough to a piece of parchment, seam side down, and form into a circle, tucking one end inside the other. Pinch this seam together also. You should have a circle in the center roughly 4" in diameter.
Slice the dough from the outside edge three-quarters of the way through, leaving the center intact. Repeat in 1½" increments all the way around the dough (spin the piece of parchment with the dough on it to make this easier).
Turn the slices on their sides, pulling every other one to the inside of the circle. Cover with greased plastic and let rise once more until puffy, about 45 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 350°F.
When the dough has risen, brush it all over with the egg wash and bake for 24 to 26 minutes, until golden brown and the center reads 190°F when measured with a digital thermometer. Do not over bake the cake or it will dry out. Remove from the oven and let cool on a rack.
For the glaze: Combine all the ingredients except for the almond slices. Drizzle over the slightly warm coffeecake. Sprinkle with toasted almonds, if desired.

Notes

The cake can be made the day before and stored well-wrapped, for up to 3 days at room temperature, or freeze for up to 3 months.

This showstopper almond coffeecake can be made the night before and enjoyed the next day, which makes it perfect for busy mornings during the Holidays. I already look forward to a slice of this coffee cake on my Christmas morning!