Christmas Spice Coffee Cake

Here is another Christmas recipe for you! A super simple but delicious Christmas spice coffee cake that has a cream cheese ripple throughout the centre. This would be a great addition as dessert for your family get-together or even as a mid day snack. You could also serve this cake with breakfast on Christmas morning as a special treat!

This cake tastes great both warm and cold, but I personally prefer it chilled in the fridge for few hours prior to eating. The sour cream in the cake and the cream cheese in the centre keep it super moist, while the glaze on top adds some extra sweetness as this isn't a super sweet dessert on its own. If for some reason cream cheese isn't your thing, feel free to make the cake without it. It will still be delicious!

Ingredients

Cake

- 1 cup butter, room temperature

- 1 1/2 cup sugar

- 2 eggs

- 2 cups flour

- 2 tsp cinnamon

- 2 tsp nutmeg

- 1 tsp cloves

- 1 tsp allspice

- 1 tsp ginger

- 1/2 tsp salt

- 1 1/2 tsp baking powder

- 1 cup sour cream

- 1/2 cup milk

- 2 tsp vanilla

Cream Cheese Filling

- 8 oz cream cheese, room temperature

- 1/2 cup sugar

- 1/2 tsp cinnamon

Glaze

- 1 1/2 cups icing sugar

- 1/4 cup milk

Method

Preheat your oven to 350ºF. Start by creaming the butter in a stand mixer with the paddle attachment. Next add the sugar and beat on medium speed until all the sugar is incorporated, about 1-2 minutes. Next add the eggs and beat on medium-high speed for 3-4 minutes or until the mixture looks light and fluffy and is light yellow in colour.

In a separate bowl, combine the flour, spices, salt and baking powder. Stir to combine and set aside.

In a third bowl, whisk together the sour cream, milk and vanilla. This should have the consistency of yogurt.

Add about one third of the dry ingredient mixture into the stand mixer with the butter, sugar, and eggs. Mix on low until just combined. Next add one half of the wet ingredient mixture and mix on low until just combined. Repeat this process until all of the ingredients are added and mix on medium speed for 1-2 minutes or until the batter is evenly mixed throughout. Set aside.

Next, make the cream cheese filling. Start by softening the cream cheese in the microwave for 10-20 seconds. Stir with a spoon or spatula to work out all of the lumps and get the cream cheese into a spreadable consistency. Now add the sugar and cinnamon and mix until evenly combined.

Grease a bundt cake pan and fill with half of the cake batter. If possible, try to spread the batter up the edges on both sides of the pan with a spoon to make a well for the cream cheese filling to occupy. This will help the cream cheese from leaking out of the edges of the cake and will help it keep its structure. Add the cream cheese to the well you've created in the batter, trying to spread it out evenly within the pan. You can use a spoon to spread this as well. Next, use the remaining batter to fill the cake pan the rest of the way ensuring all of the cream cheese is covered. Place the cake in the oven for 65-70 minutes or until the top is browned and a toothpick comes out of the cake without any uncooked batter.

Let the cake cool on a cooling rack in the pan for the first 30 minutes. This will help the cream cheese solidify a little bit before removing from the pan. Once the cake is completely cooled, make the glaze by whisking together the milk and icing sugar and then drizzling on top with a spoon. This cake tastes great warmed up or chilled in the fridge - I hope you enjoy it!