The Covered Dish - Cherry Coffee Cake

January 12, 2022

This week our house lost at least 15 pounds of ‘stuff’, wish I could say the same!

Just tossing leftover holiday ‘things’, papers and magazines that needed to go. It made me feel good, and it was definitely a good thing. All the décor is about down and I can reclaim the house again. That alone makes a person feel good.
One of my favorite meals for breakfast is a nice homemade pastry, scrambled eggs, bacon and fruit. This coming weekend I plan on serving this coffeecake so I thought I might as well share it with my readers.
The Cherry Coffee Cake I’m featuring can easily fill the bill for breakfast or brunch. Change out the flavor of pie filling and you can present lemon, blueberry, peach or even a cream cheese coffeecake. On the cream cheese version I would use 8 ounces of cream cheese, about 1/2 cup powdered sugar, 1 egg and a small amount of vanilla. Blend smooth and use just like the pie filling. On second thought…..I think I would double this little cream cheese mixture. You don’t want it to be ‘scant’ and since the pie filling was 21 ounces we should try to produce that much in cream cheese filling too.

The first time I made this coffee cake it was Thanksgiving and we were still living in Platte County, Missouri. I remember my mom, Betty, is the one who shared this lovely recipe with me. If you don’t care for the way the glaze is constructed you can easily play around with it and use your own mixture. I’m also thinking this would be yummy with blueberry pie filling and a lemon glaze over the top. I would also consider including fresh lemon zest.
For the more adventuresome cooks, chuck the canned pie filling and make your own with fresh fruit. For the cherry I would use sugar, water, fruit, cornstarch and almond extract. With blueberry try almond or lemon extract.
This past weekend we hosted a meal for friends who are relocating from Branson West to Branson. We cooked pulled pork overnight and made yummy pulled pork burritos. They sure were a hit, plus I’ve had lots of leftovers for salads this week.

Oh yes, I must give you a good tip for the cook in your family. For Christmas I received a Presto traveling crock pot/cooker, for the car. It’s been used 3 times since Christmas and I highly recommend it for families who carry meals to lots of places, including tailgating. One of the great things about it is I can cook in it overnight and you never smell it! This is due to the air tight lid. A great great find.
Seize the day my friends, make every moment count. Happy baking! Simply yours, The Covered Dish. www.thecovereddish.com

Cherry Coffee Cake

1 package (18 ¼ ounce) yellow cake mix, divided

1 cup flour, all purpose

1 package, (1/4 oz. or 2 1/4 teaspoons) active dry yeast

2/3 cup warm water (120-130 degrees)

2 eggs, slightly beaten

1 can (21 ounces) cherry pie filling

(Light pie filling works well too.)

1/3 cup cold butter

Glaze

1 cup powdered sugar

1 tablespoon corn syrup

1-2 tablespoons water

Combine 1 1/2 cups dry cake mix, flour, yeast and water, stir until smooth. Mix in eggs until blended. Transfer to a greased 9 x 13 x 2 inch baking dish. Carefully spoon the pie filling across the top. Place remaining cake mix in a bowl and cut in the butter until crumbly. Sprinkle over the filling and bake at 350 degrees for 35-40 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool on a wire rack. Combine glaze ingredients until smooth, drizzle over the coffee cake. Serves 12-16 persons.