Cardamom Bun Coffee Cake
Makes 1 7x11 inch cake
Servings 8 slices
Cost 5
Ingredients
- ⅓ cup mashed potato flakes (Hungry Jack Plain) (25 grams)
- ⅔ cup boiling water
- 3-4 tablespoons hot milk
- 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour (190 grams)
- ¼ cup sugar, scant (45 grams)
- 1 ½ teaspoons instant yeast, SAF gold label works well
- 1 large egg yolk (16 grams)
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon vanilla
- 2 tablespoons shortening or very soft butter (24 or 28 grams)
Topping
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar (25 grams)
- 2 tablespoons white sugar (25 grams)
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon ground cardamom
- 2 ½ tablespoons salted butter, melted and cooled (35 grams)
Optional Additions
- 1-2 tablespoons fruit preserves
- 1-2 tablespoons chocolate chips
Instructions
- Combine the mashed potato flakes and boiling water in the bowl of a stand mixer. Stir to make some really soft and hot mashed potatoes.
- In this order, add 3 tablespoons of the milk, flour, sugar, and instant yeast. Stir together, then add the egg yolk, vanilla and salt. It will be very thick. Add 1 more tablespoon of the milk if needed. Stir again with a scraper until well mixed, then add the shortening or butter and beat with the paddle or dough hook for two minutes until the dough is fully mixed. The texture should be something like a thick, stretchy muffin batter -- not stiff like bread dough, but not as soft as a batter.
- Scrape dough into the center of the bowl. Grab a section from the side, stretch upward and fold it over on the dough to make a ball. Cover and let stand for 20 minutes.
- After dough stands, repeat the stretching and folding process. Let stand for another 20 minutes. Repeat stretching and folding one more time for a total standing time of 1 hour.
- After you've done your series of 3 stretch and folds, Spread the dough evenly in a well greased 7x11 inch pan. Cover and let stand for 30 minutes or until it is puffy and light. While the dough is standing, preheat the oven to 375F.
- Mix together together both sugars. Divide in half and add cinnamon to one half and cardamom to the other if you want to do a cake with half cinnamon and half cardamom. Otherwise, just mix everything together.
- Rub your three middle fingers in melted butter or oil and poke dimples aggressively all over the dough going almost to the bottom.
- Drizzle evenly with about half the melted butter, focusing on getting it into the dimples. If using preserves, spoon tiny amounts in over the butter, poking them down in there and spacing as you wish. Sprinkle with half of the spice mixture. Put half the cinnamon mixture over one side (for the non-cardamom fans) and the cardamom mixture over the other half. Drizzle on all remaining butter, then sprinkle on all remaining sugar. Scatter some mini chocolate chips around
- Bake at 375 degrees F for about 20 to 25 minutes or until browned.
- Serve warm or let cool and serve later. You can also freeze it.