Recipe: Daisy Coffee Cake

Helen Wride's Apricot Daisy Coffee Cake (Stollen)

Ingredients:
1 package yeast (1 tablespoon)
1/4 cup warm water
1/2 cup milk, scalded
1/4 cup butter
2 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon salt
3 to 3 1/2 cups flour, sifted
2 eggs, beaten

Jam Topping:
apricot jam
1 cup powdered sugar
1 1/2 tablespoons milk
1/4 teaspoon vanilla


Directions:
Combine yeast and water. Let proof. In a large bowl, combine milk, butter, sugar and salt; cool to lukewarm. Add 1 cup flour and beat well. Stir in yeast mixture and eggs. Add enough flour to make a moderately stiff dough. Turn onto floured counter top and knead until satiny (8 to 10 minutes) or use dough hook in bosh 3 minutes. Transfer to a well-oiled bowl. Cover with a pizza pan or plastic and let rise until double. Punch down and let rest 10 minutes.

To form the daisy, roll dough into a 14-inch circle. Transfer the circle to a greased cookie sheet. Place a glass in the center, top down. Cut circle into 4 sections just to the glass. Cut each section into 5 strips. Criscross 2 strips together and pinch to seal ends. Remove glass and coil one criscross strip in the center where the glass was. Continue to make criscross strips, pinch to seal the ends and arrange loosely around the center coil. When it is done it looks like a bouquet of daisys. Let the daisy rise some, then bake at 350°F for 25 minutes, until golden.

While still warm, spread jam in center of each daisy. Drizzle with confectioner's icing made from powdered sugar, milk and vanilla.

Cooks note: This sounds complicated, and it does take a little creativity, but it tastes delicious. Helen brought this recipe with her to Ohio and made it for our family during one of her visits. We loved it!

Just make sure the criscross strips are coiled around the center coil. I think that is how it looks, a center coil and other coils around the center one. Then when you spread the apricot jam it goes on each little coil.