The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Cream Cheese Coffee Cake
15 minutes
For the Cake: 10 tablespoons unsalted
butter, at room temperature 1 cup plus 7 tablespoons
granulated sugar, divided 1 teaspoon baking powder 1 teaspoon baking soda ½ teaspoon salt 4 eggs 1 ¼ cups sour cream
1 hour Zest and juice from 2 lemons,
divided 2 ¼ cups all-purpose flour 8 ounces Neufchâtel, softened For the topping: ½ cup sliced almonds ¼ cup granulated sugar
1 ½ teaspoons finely grated lemon zest
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease a 10-inch tube pan with nonstick cooking spray.
In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream butter and 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar until fluffy, about 3 minutes. Turn off mixer and add baking powder, baking soda, salt and eggs. Beat mixture 1 minute, then add sour cream and lemon zest and beat just until mixed. Turn off mixer, add flour and beat again just until mixed. Remove bowl from mixer.
Remove 2 cups batter and set aside. Put remaining batter in prepared tube pan and smooth top. Return bowl to mixer and beat Neufchâtel, lemon juice and remaining 5 tablespoons sugar until fluffy, about 1 minute. Remove bowl from mixer and stir in ¼ cup reserved batter.
Spread cream cheese mixture over batter in pan, staying 1 inch away from sides of pan. Spread remaining reserved batter over cheese mixture and smooth top. Using a butter knife, gently swirl filling into batter using a figure-8 motion, being careful not to reach all the way to the bottom.
In a small bowl, make topping by combining almonds sugar and zest.
Sprinkle topping evenly over cake batter and gently press into batter to adhere. Bake 45 minutes or until cake is just done. Remove cake to a wire rack and cool 1 hour. Then run a knife around outside edge of tube pan and place a cookie sheet on top. Reverse cake onto cookie sheet and remove pan. Put wire rack on bottom of cake and reverse. Now cake is on wire rack with topping side up. Allow to continue to cool, about 1 hour, before serving.