Daisy Coffee Cake

During my “gainfully employed” years an elderly co-worker gave me several recipe booklets that had belonged to his mother. It was no secret that I was really interested in baking and probably not having anyone else to pass them on to decided that I could make some use of them.

A recipe for “Daisy Coffee Cake” immediately caught my eye and I decided to try it out even though it involved using yeast. I have to admit that I wasn’t as comfortable using yeast as I am now and I think this recipe gets major credit for helping me get over any fear I may have had.

I had much success in making this coffee cake and made it often but I guess not often enough to remember the exact measurements of ingredients in the recipe.

One day I decided to bake a couple of coffee cakes but couldn’t find the recipe booklet and to this day I don’t know what happened to it.

After days and months of searching and even contacting the company who advertised their brand of butter in the recipe, all my efforts were unsuccessful.

Years later, while having a phone conversation with my sister she began telling me of a recipe she had come across in a magazine.

I admit I was just half listening to her until the ingredients she was listing began to sound very familiar. At this point she was totally unaware of the recipe I had lost years ago.

I suddenly interrupted her and cried out “That’s my recipe!”
After some explaining I grabbed a pen and paper and made sure to document the recipe before anything else happened to it.

What a feeling, it was just like being reunited with a long lost friend!

Daisy Coffee Cake

1 tablespoon active dry yeast
¼ cup warm water plus one teaspoon sugar
2 large eggs
¼ cup granulated sugar
½ cup sour cream
½ cup butter (measure, then melt)
1 teaspoon salt
2 ¾ to 3 cups all purpose flour
coconut for sprinkling over top

Filling
½ cup coconut
½ cup sugar
2 teaspoons finely grated orange zest

1. Soften yeast in the ¼ cup water and 1 teaspoon sugar.
2. In a bowl combine eggs, sugar, sour cream salt and 6 tablespoons of the melted butter.
3. Add the dissolved yeast and stir.
4. Stir in 2 ¾ cups flour then knead in as much of the rest of the flour to make a soft dough then knead for a few minutes until a smooth and elastic dough forms.
5. Place in a greased bowl and let rise in a warm place for 1 ½ hours.
6. Punch dough down, divide in half and let rest for 10 minutes.
7. With rolling pin roll into two 12 inch circles, brush with remaining melted butter.
8. Combine ingredients for the filling and spread over the two circles.
9. Cut each circle into 12 equal wedges then roll each wedge into a crescent.
10. Grease two 8 inch round pans
11. Place 2 of the crescents in the middle of the pan and arrange the remaining 10 crescents around the pan. Repeat with the second circle of dough.
12. Cover and let rise for 30 minutes.
13. Bake in a preheated 350 degree F. oven for 25 to 30 minutes.
14. Remove from oven and cool on wire cooling rack. While still warm, brush top with glaze and sprinkle with coconut.

Glaze
½ cup sugar
½ cup sour cream
¼ cup orange juice
¼ cup butter

1. Combine all ingredients for glaze in a small saucepan.
2. Stir over medium heat until sugar dissolves.
3. Bring mixture to a boil and boil 3 minutes stirring constantly.
4. Remove pan from stove and cool down for a few minutes.

Notes, Tips and Suggestions

• If top of coffee cake starts to brown too soon, cover loosely with foil during last 5 to 10 minutes of baking.
• The recipe for the glaze makes a generous amount. I usually cut the recipe in half and find that it’s enough. I suggest you make the full amount the first time then decide for yourself.
• These coffee cakes freeze very well and taste great warmed up.