Candy Cane Coffee Cake

This delicious recipe is from the award-winning Betty Crocker’s Best Christmas Cookbook. Braided and fruit-filled, these shapely coffee cakes are perfect for entertaining or giving as gifts. 

2 packages regular or quick active dry yeast
1/2 cup warm water (105°F to 115°F)
1 1/4 cups buttermilk
2 eggs
5 1/2 to 6 cups Gold Medal® Better for Bread™ flour or Gold Medal® all-purpose flour
1/2 cup butter or margarine, softened
1/2 cup sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons salt
1 1/2 cups chopped dried apricots
1 1/2 cups chopped drained maraschino cherries
Coffee Cake Glaze
1 1/2 cups red cinnamon candies, if desired

• Dissolve yeast in warm water in large bowl. 
• Add buttermilk, sugar, butter, eggs, baking powder, salt and 2 1/2 cups of the flour. 
• Beat with electric mixer on low speed 30 seconds, scraping bowl constantly. 
• Beat on medium speed 2 minutes, scraping bowl occasionally. 
• Stir in enough remaining flour to make dough easy to handle. Dough should be soft and slightly sticky.
• Grease 3 cookie sheets. 
• Turn dough onto well-floured surface; gently knead about 5 minutes or until smooth and elastic. 
• Divide dough into 3 equal parts. 
• Roll one part into rectangle, 15x9 inches. 
• Place rectangle on cookie sheet.
• Mix apricots and chopped cherries. 
• Spread one-third of the apricot mixture in a strip about 2 1/2 inches wide lengthwise down center of rectangle. 
• Make cuts in dough at 1/2-inch intervals on both 15-inch sides almost to filling. 
• Fold strips over filling, overlapping and crossing in center. 
• Carefully stretch dough until 22 inches long; curve one end to form top of cane. 
• Repeat with remaining 2 parts of dough. 
• Cover and let rise in warm place about 1 hour or until double. Dough is ready if indentation remains when touched.
• Heat oven to 375°F. 
• Bake 20 to 25 minutes or until golden brown. 
• Drizzle Glaze over warm coffee cakes. 
• Decorate with cinnamon candies.

Recipe: Betty Crocker