Chocolate Almond Apricot Coffee Cake

Hello friends!

Ladies and gentlemen, warm up your ovens! This has something to do with chocolate, cinnamon, sugar, fruit, butter, and bread. I knew that would get your attention!

I love experimenting with new ways of shaping bread and was very pleased with the results of this particular experiment in shaping. I also have a love of babkas and coffee cakes, so I combined the two for this showstopper.

In a nod to the chocolate babka, this coiled coffee cake is light, tender, and buttery inside. It Contains swirls of semi-sweet chocolate, juicy apricots, almonds, and a hint of cinnamon. Simple to form, addictive to eat, perfect winter brunch sweet treat.

Meet ya in the kitchen!

For the Dough:

1 tablespoon active dry yeast

2 tablespoons warm water, 110 degrees

Pinch of sugar

4 1/2 to 5 cups flour, plus more for work surface

1/2 warm milk

2 eggs, beaten

1/4 cup sugar

1 teaspoon almond extract

zest of one lemon

6 tablespoons softened butter

1 teaspoon salt

For the Filling:

3/4 cup of chocolate chips

1/2 cup butter

1/2 cup cocoa powder

1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

8 oz dried apricots, chopped

1/2 cup almonds, sliced

Milk

Sugar

Glaze:

1 1/2 cups confectioners’ sugar

2-3 tablespoon heavy cream

2 teaspoons lemon zest

To Make the Dough:

In a small bowl, stir together yeast, warm water (100 degrees), and a pinch of sugar. The mixture will be lumpy, we’re just trying to activate the yeast. Allow to sit for 5 minutes until foamy and bubbly.

In a separate bowl, mix together 4 1/2 cups flour and salt.

In the bowl of a stand-up mixer, mix together eggs, milk, sugar, almond extract, lemon zest, and butter. Add the yeast mixture to the egg mixture. Stir to mix well.

Add the flour to the wet ingredients, 1/2 cup at a time, changing to the dough hook when needed. Beating on low speed until almost all the flour is incorporated. The dough will be sticky at first, but avoid adding too much extra flour. If you’re kneading by hand, try kneading on a lightly oiled (instead of floured) surface, or knead in a stand mixer or bread machine set to the dough cycle. The dough will be smooth, soft and slightly sticky, about 7-10 minutes.

Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead for a few turns until smooth. Butter or grease a large bowl. Place dough in bowl, turn to coat. Cover tightly with plastic wrap. Set aside in a warm place to rise until doubled in bulk, about 1 hour.

Making the Filling:

Melt butter and chocolate chips together until smooth. Stir in powdered sugar and cocoa; mixture should form a spreadable paste. Add cinnamon, if desired. Set aside.

Once the dough has risen, turn out onto a lightly floured work surface and gently press down to release the air. Roll the dough into a 18×12-inch rectangle. Spread the chocolate filling, apricots, and almonds into an even layer over the dough, leaving a 1-inch border along one of the long sides of the rectangle. Starting with the opposite long edge, tightly roll up the dough into a cylinder and pinch the seam to seal.

Place the dough on a sheet pan lined with parchment paper, and freeze for 30 minutes. This will help with your next step.

Once out of the freezer, starting with seam edge down, use a serrated knife to cut the dough in half lengthwise.

Working on a sheet pan, lined with parchment paper, carefully take the dough and coil it around itself in a spiral pattern (cut side up). Place the other half of the dough at the end of the first and pinch the ends to seal. Continue coiling the second piece of dough to form one giant spiral cake. Cover the cake and let rise for 30 minutes.

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Brush the top of the coffeecake with milk and sprinkle with sugar.

Bake, rotating halfway through, until golden, about 50-65 minutes. The last 20 minutes you may have to cover your dough with aluminum foil, preventing over-browning. Remove from the oven and transfer to a wire rack to cool.

Make the Glaze:

Stir the confectioners’ sugar, heavy cream, and zest in a small bowl until well combined. Drizzle over cooled cake.