Perry County Coffee Cake
A genuine German coffee cake recipe from our Lutheran ancestors, this recipe might strike you as more of a bread than a cake. But the sweet apples and cinnamon drizzle give this recipe a cake-like sweetness. This recipe is meant for church potlucks, so if you make it for just your family on St. Walther's Day, we would suggest cutting the recipe!
Servings: 25 people
Ingredients
Coffee Cake
- 1 C milk scalded
- 1 C sugar
- ¾ C butter
- 2 eggs beaten
- 1 tbsp vanilla extract
- 1 tbsp salt
- 2 C water
- 1 package yeast
- 10-11 C flour
Apple Cinnamon Topping
- 2 apples sliced
- ½ C sugar
- 2 tbsp butter melted
- ½ tsp cinnamon
Cinnamon Drizzle
- 1 tbsp vanilla extract
- 1 tbsp cinnamon
- 2 C confectioners' sugar
Instructions
Coffee Cake
- Mix together milk, sugar, butter, and eggs. Add vanilla extract and salt when cool or lukewarm.
- In a large bowl place 1 cup lukewarm water and 1 pkg. dry yeast (2 pkgs. if you want a fast-rising dough). Stir and let set for five minutes. Add the other cup of water.
- Stir milk mixture into the yeast mixture. Add about 6 cups of flour, stirring into mixture. Add 4-5 cups more and turn out on floured surface to knead. Knead well and put into 2 large greased bowls. Cover and let rise until doubled in size. Turn out on floured surface and let rest for 10 min. Grease 3 cookie sheets and 1 small 8" pan. Divide dough into 3½ parts and spread in pans. Let rise until doubled in bulk.
- Cover with apple topping (see below). Bake in 350° oven for 20-30 min or until golden brown.
Apple Cinnamon Topping
- Pare apples and slice thinly. Mix together the melted butter, sugar, and cinnamon and toss with apples. Arrange in rows on top of dough slightly overlapping slices.
Cinnamon Drizzle
- Combine drizzle ingredients and drizzle over coffee cake once cooled.