This Almond Coffee Cake Ring or tea ring is a slightly sweet yeast bread filled with almond paste and cream cheese and made into a wreath-shaped pastry. It’s baked until golden and then drizzled with icing. This recipe feeds a crowd and is perfect for brunch, and Christmas and Easter mornings.

Almond Coffee Cake Ring and Recipe Video!

Almond Coffee Cake Ring

For years my dad has raved about the Almond Coffee Cake Ring that his mother would make for every Christmas and Easter morning. When I stumbled across a recipe for a Coffee Cake Ring, I just knew I had to make it!

This homemade pastry is a bit time-intensive, but it’s worth it! It’s just the special breakfast pastry that your holiday spread needs! If you can’t find almond paste in the stores, then you can use my recipe for Homemade Almond Paste to make your own! 

Almond Coffee Cake Ring recipe video

COOK’S NOTE – ALMOND COFFEE CAKE RING:

  • This recipe makes two coffee cakes that serve about 12 people each. So definitely make this recipe when you’re expecting a crowd! I also like making this for breakfast potlucks. I have made this coffee cake for bake sales, too. I just simply slice it and wrap individual slices in plastic wrap.
  • If you’re not looking to feed a crowd, and you only want to make one coffee cake, then prepare the recipe until step 8 and freeze one of the rings BEFORE it rises the second time. When you’re ready to bake the frozen dough, just let it thaw and rise until almost doubled in size before continuing with the rest of the recipe. This thawing and rising can take upwards of 5 hours. You can also thaw the dough in the refrigerator overnight, and then let the dough rise at room temperature or in a warm oven for about 1 1/2 – 2 hours.
  • To dress this almond coffee cake up the old fashioned way, place drained maraschino cherries on top of the icing before serving.

Almond Coffee Cake Ring for Easter and Christmas.

COOK’S TOOLS AND INGREDIENTS:

  • mixing bowls
  • hand mixer
  • large measuring cup
  • baking sheet
  • wire rack
  • almond paste                                 

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Almond Coffee Cake Ring for Easter and Christmas.
4.47 from 26 votes

Almond Coffee Cake Ring

Prep Time 3 hours 31 minutes
Cook Time 25 minutes
Total Time 3 hours 55 minutes
24 people
This Almond Coffee Cake Ring or tea ring is a slightly sweet yeast bread filled with almond paste and cream cheese and made into a wreath-shaped pastry. 

Equipment

  • mixing bowls
  • hand mixer
  • large measuring cup
  • baking sheet
  • wire rack

Ingredients
 
 

FILLING:

  • 1 7-ounce tube almond paste
  • 4 ounces cream cheese softened
  • ½ cup confectioner’s sugar

DOUGH:

  • 1 ⅓ cups warm milk heated to 110°F
  • 8 Tablespoons unsalted butter melted and cooled
  • cup honey
  • 3 large egg yolks
  • 1 Tablespoon vanilla extract
  • 4 ¾ cups of all-purpose flour you may need an additional 1/4 cup, later on, depending on how sticky the dough is
  • 2 ¼ teaspoons instant yeast
  • 2 teaspoons salt

TOPPING:

  • 3 large egg whites lightly beaten
  • ½ cup sliced or slivered almonds

ICING:

  • 1 ½ cups confectioners’ sugar
  • 2 ounces cream cheese softened
  • 2 Tablespoons milk
  • ½ teaspoon vanilla

Instructions

MAKE THE FILLING:

  • In a medium bowl add the almond paste, softened cream cheese, and sugar. Beat with a handheld mixer on medium speed until smooth. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate until ready to use.

MAKE THE DOUGH:

  • In a large measuring cup whisk together the milk, melted butter, honey, egg yolks, and vanilla, and set aside.
  • In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a hook attachment, add 4 3/4 cups of flour, yeast, and salt. With the mixer on low speed, add the milk mixture and mix until the dough comes together, about 2 minutes, scraping down the sides of the bowl halfway through mixing.
  • Increase the mixer speed to medium and knead until the dough is smooth and shiny about 5 to 7 minutes. Add up to ¼ cup of flour, 1 tablespoon at a time, if the dough is not clearing the sides of the bowl after 5 minutes.
  • Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead by hand to form a smooth round ball, about 1 minute.
  • Place the dough in a lightly oiled large bowl and wrap tightly with plastic wrap. Let the dough rise in a warm place until doubled in size, 1 to 1 1/2 hours. If your kitchen isn’t very warm, then preheat the oven to 170º and then turn it off. Put your dough in the oven to rise.

FORM THE DOUGH:

  • Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper, and set aside. On a large lightly floured piece of parchment paper, divide the dough into 2 equal pieces. Working with one piece of dough at a time, roll it out into an 18 x 9-inch rectangle. Spread half of the filling in a 1-inch wide strip just above the bottom edge of the dough.
  • Roll the dough into a tight log, and pinch the seam closed. Transfer the log, seam side down, to one of the prepared baking sheets. Repeat with remaining dough and filling.
  • Shape each dough cylinder into a ring. Make about 11 cuts around the outside of the dough using a paring knife. Each cut should be about 1 to 1 ½ inches apart. Twist each piece of dough cut side up.
  • Lightly spray the coffee cakes with cooking spray, wrap loosely in plastic wrap, and let them rise in a warm place until they have nearly doubled in size and spring back slowly when indented with a finger, about 1 to 1 ½ hours.

TOP AND BAKE:

  • Adjust the oven racks to the upper-middle and lower-middle positions and heat the oven to 375ºF.
  • Brush the rings with egg whites and sprinkle with almonds. Bake until golden brown, about 25 minutes, switching and rotating pans half-way through baking. Remove the coffee cakes from the oven and place on a wire rack and cool for 1 hour.

MAKE THE ICING AND FINISH:

  • Whisk the sugar, softened cream cheese, milk, and vanilla together in a small bowl until smooth, and then drizzle it over the cakes before serving.

Video

Notes

Makes two large coffee cakes that serve about 12 people each.

Nutrition

Serving: 1Slice | Calories: 229kcal | Carbohydrates: 34.84g | Protein: 5.19g | Fat: 7.72g | Cholesterol: 34mg | Sodium: 233mg | Potassium: 97mg | Fiber: 1.1g | Sugar: 15.52g | Vitamin A: 450IU | Calcium: 50mg | Iron: 1.4mg

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40 Comments

  1. I made this this morning. It is absolutely wonderful. Very tender dough part with just a hint of almond. Well worth the time and effort. Will make again. I did have some trouble with the dough being too sticky so had to add more than an extra 1/4 c flour. Would also like more almond filling in tea ring but still delicious. I wish I could find the kind of almond filling that bakeries use. It seems theirs is darker in color and a drier texture. Apart from that it is DELICIOUS.

  2. Hi! This looks amazing, and I am a huge fan of almond anything. I wanted to ask you if I could let the dough rise in the refrigerator, as I don’t usually have so much time to do this kind of baking in one shot? I often bake bread, and that allows me to let it rise in the fridge. This dough is a bit more delicate I think, and would like your opinion.
    Thanks so much in advance.

    Jane

  3. Hi Jane. Yes, I do this all the time with my yeast dough. Sometimes I let the dough rest overnight after a partial 1st rise then shape the loaves in the AM. OR you can let it rise, then shape loaves in the PM, then cover overnight in fridge, then let it do the 2nd rise in the AM. Dough usually bakes up even better when fermented overnight in fridge, in my experience. This dough isn’t “delicate”. I find most dough is rather adaptable to your unique touch. Good luck! Liz