Comments on: Continental coffeecake: a taste of Tuscany

By: Kathleen

Kathleen — Fri, 12 Dec 2008 03:40:43 +0000

Would this recipe work for individually baked small loaves? I would like to give some as gifts, and thought to use the wooden paper lined loaf pans.

I did make one as the full loaf and it was wonderful!

Yes, it definitely would. Susan, my fellow blogger, just made individual roll-sized cakes. Good idea! PJH

By: Dick Dearden

Dick Dearden — Tue, 02 Dec 2008 22:11:29 +0000

Just wanted to let you know the Tuscan Coffee Cake is excellent. I made it to take to my daughters house for Thanksgiving….but it was half gone the night before!
It works much better than the original recipe that was a one step procedure. I pan-proofed it in the refrigerator (I was not ready to bake it right away), and it came out perfect. After a couple of days, it works well if sliced and slipped into the toaster for a few minutes.
Enjoy your blog, enjoy your sense of humor and certainly enjoy your recipes and hints.
Thanks from a retired chef (and sous chef at Hanover Inn many years ago).

Well, thank you very much, Dick. High praise from a chef - and I like the Hanover Inn connection. What a lot of changes there, huh? Glad the coffeecake worked out well for you. PJH

By: Audrey

Audrey — Mon, 01 Dec 2008 19:54:00 +0000

I finally made this today and it is GREAT!! I overcooked it a tad (about 10*F)because I had to pick my daughter up from school and it’s still moist inside!!!

By: Amalia

Amalia — Fri, 28 Nov 2008 12:40:54 +0000

This recipie is really great ! I like it and I will try it.

By: Buffy

Buffy — Tue, 25 Nov 2008 18:28:43 +0000

Tuscan coffeecake is absolutely, unequivocally, my favorite toasting bread.
I make it for my home pretty often, but will only make and give away two loaves a year.
I notice that my friends aren’t shy with hints to be on THAT short list.

For many reasons, I appreciate the staff and products of KAF.
This might be a good time to tell you that because I’m not eligible for free shipping offers, a friend in the midwest handles my KAF orders.

By: Regina

Regina — Fri, 21 Nov 2008 21:12:33 +0000

This was delicious! I made the one pan version in a 9″ round pan and loved it. It’s decadent without being sweet. I was surprised at how much it rose! It was quite a large cake. Thanks for the recipe. I enjoy the blog here

By: Linda

Linda — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 12:53:14 +0000

I made the coffeecake using my sourdough starter and it came out excellent. Imight not have even needed the little bit of yeast called for in the second part of the recipe. It rose a lot faster then I thought it would. It did not taste yeasty though. I did add gluten to the KA flour. The fruits I used were currents, dates, raisins and walnuts. I did took the temp and it was a little higher then you mentioned in the recipe. The cake seems to dry out faster then expected but people liked it and is a good use for the sourdough stater. Thanks
Hi Linda, Glad you enjoyed the cake. It sounds like it overbaked just a little bit, so that would make it dry out faster, but again, glad to hear you enjoyed it.

MaryJane @ The Baker’s Hotline

By: Sam in Colorado

Sam in Colorado — Tue, 18 Nov 2008 23:04:54 +0000

I remembered making this coffee cake a year or so ago and was happy to re-visit it. I started the bigga on a Saturday morning planing to finish it that night. It wasn’t until the next morning that I actually did make it and was worried that the sponge was done. It seemed to have needed the full 24 hours to grow. I used your Artisian bread trick of pouring water around the edge of the sponge to release it from it’s bowl. That worked wonderfully. I used two small brioche tins to cook it in and your Fioria de Sicilia for the flavoring. Gave them both as hostess gifts that evening. Big hit! I’m always so happy when one of your recipes works in Colorado.

By: Carol in Colorado

Carol in Colorado — Tue, 18 Nov 2008 21:12:26 +0000

Just finished baking this wonderful coffeecake. Couldn’t wait till it cooled and already had a slice. The recipe was easy to follow and the coffeecake is delicious. The crunchy sugary topping adds a great touch. I’m wondering if you have tried freezing one of the loaves and how it does?
Thanks for a great recipe. This should freeze well for about 3 months. Mary @ King Arthur Flour

By: Deirdre

Deirdre — Tue, 18 Nov 2008 18:55:49 +0000

I have a question for this recipe and others — when it says to sit overnight how long is that? I usually presume that is 8 hours but realize it could be flexible — how flexible it is. Could it be anywhere from 6 to 12? Often mixing in the morning for use later in the day fits in better with my schedule than mixing something the night before and using in the morning.

Thanks.

Deirdre, kitchens vary. The more yeast things you bake, the shorter amount of time “overnight” can be, as there’s a lot of ambient yeast in the air, and it helps the starter grow. My overnight is usually about 4 p.m. till 7 a.m., which fits my work schedule - so that’s 15 hours. The ideal goal is a starter that has domes fully, but hasn’t yet sunk; this is pretty subtle. If your starter has obviously fallen, then go ahead and use it, but next time give it a shorter rise. If it isn’t very bubbly, then you haven’t given it long enough. If you want to hasten the schedule, use 1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon yeast instead of a pinch. Experiment - you’ll figure out what’s just right for your kitchen and your schedule. PJH