Candy Cane Coffee Cakes
3 1/2 cups To 4 1/2 cups Flour, divided
1 package Quick-rising Yeast
1/3 cup Sugar
1/2 teaspoon Salt
3/4 cup Buttermilk
1/2 cup Butter, cut into 6 pieces
2 Eggs
1/4 cup Butter, softened
1/4 cup Light Brown Sugar, firm pack
2 tablespoons Granulated Sugar
1 teaspoon Ground Cinnamon
Glaze
1 cup Confectioners' Sugar
Milk
Coffeecakes:
Combine 2 cups of the flour, the yeast, the sugar and the salt in a lg. mixer bowl. Heat buttermilk and butter to very warm (125 F to 130 degree F.) Add to flour mixture with the eggs. Beat on low speed of electric mixer, scraping bowl constantly, about 30 seconds. Beat on medium speed for 2 minutes. Stir in enough remaining flour to make dough easy to handle. Knead dough on well-floured surface until smooth and elastic, about 3-5 minutes, adding additional flour as needed to prevent dough from sticking. Let dough rest, covered, 10 minutes.
Meanwhile, for the filling, combine butter, sugars and cinnamon; mix to form a paste.
Divide dough into two equal parts. On well-floured surface, roll each to a 14x6" rectangle. Place on buttered cookie sheet. Make 2" cuts on 14" sides of rectangles at 1/2" intervals. Spread half of the cinnamon-butter paste down center of each rectangle. Crisscross strips over cinnamon mixture. Gently stretch each rectangle to 20"; curve to form cane shape. Cover; let rise in warm, draft-free place until nearly doughble, 20-30 minutes. Bake in a 375 oven 18-20minutes or until lightly browned. Cool slightly on wire rack. Drizzle with glaze.
Decorate as desired. Makes 2 coffeecakes, 8 servings each.
Glaze:
Mix confectioners' sugar with milk to form desired consistency for glazing.
Note:
To freeze, cool completely. Do not glaze. Wrap each securely in heavy-duty aluminum foil. Freeze up to 2 months. To reheat, place frozen coffeecake in 350 oven for 20 minutes or until heated through. Drizzle with glaze.
Decorate with red gumdrops as holly berries w/ the minted green gumdrop leaves in 3 locations. Marachino cherries in red are zigagged from top to bottom.
