Cranberry-cheese Coffee Cakes

Total Time: 2 hrs 5 mins Preparation Time: 1 hr 30 mins Cook Time: 35 mins

Ingredients

• 3 1/2-4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 (1/4 ounce) envelope fleischmann's fast rising yeast (brand name is rapidrise)
• 1/3 cup shortening
• 1/2 cup water
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1 egg
• 1 (16 ounce) can whole berry cranberry sauce
• 2 teaspoons grated lemon peel or 1 teaspoon almond extract
• 1 egg
• 1/2 cup sliced almonds
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 8 ounces cream cheese, softened
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1 egg yolk

Recipe

• 1 mix 2 cups of the flour, 1/3 cup sugar, the salt, and yeast in a large bowl. heat shortening, water and milk to 125 to 130 degrees (shortening may not be melted); stir into flour mixture. mix in egg; beat until smooth, about 2 minutes. mix in enough of the remaining flour to make dough easy to handle. turn dough onto lightly floured surface; knead until smooth, 3-5 minutes. cover and let rest 10 minutes.
• 2 meanwhile, make cream cheese filling: mix cream cheese, 1/4 cup sugar, 3 t. flour and egg yolk until smooth and fluffy. set aside.
• 3 grease two 9-inch round pans. mix cranberry sauce with lemon peel or almond extract (your choice); reserve.
• 4 divide dough into halves; roll each half into 15-inch circle. fold into fourths; place in pan with point in center. unfold; press dough against side, allowing edge to hang over edge of pan. spread half of the cream cheese filling over dough in each pan; top each with half of the cranberry sauce. make cuts at 1-inch intervals to about 1/2-inch above filling around outside edge of dough. twist strips and fold over sauce.
• 5 beat egg with hand beater until foamy; brush over dough. sprinkle each cake with 1/4 cup almonds and 2 t. sugar. (at this point, coffee cakes can be covered and refrigerated up to 24 hours; rising time may be slightly longer.) cover and let rise 45 minutes.
• 6 heat oven to 375 degrees. bake until golden brown, 30-35 minutes; cool slightly.