Fresh Strawberry Cream Cheese Coffee Cake

Marg (CaymanDesigns)'s Note:

From a recipe handout I got when I went picking strawberries. Moist and delicious! It taste like a strawberry cream cheese danish. It's easier than some recipes since the cream cheese is mixed into the batter and not used as a separate layer. You could also serve it as a dessert with ice cream on top like a cobbler.

• Total Time: 1 hrs 10 mins
• Prep Time: 30 mins
• Cook Time: 40 mins

Ingredients:

Servings: 16

• 8 ounces cream cheese, softened
• 1/2 cup butter, softened
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup milk
• 2 eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 2 cups flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 3 cups strawberries, sliced (I use entire 16 oz. container)
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 cup chopped nuts

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
2. Combine cream cheese, butter and sugar. Beat until light and fluffy.
3. Stir in milk, eggs and vanilla.
4. Sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt; add to cheese mixture and mix until smooth.
5. Spread half the batter in a greased and floured 13x9 inch baking pan. (The batter is VERY thick. It works best to put little blobs of it across the whole pan and then spread them with a knife. One reviewer says they used a 8x8 inch pan, but I haven't so I can't vouch for how it will turn out or how long you need to bake it.).
6. Spread berries evenly over batter. Dot remaining batter over berries. Mix brown sugar and nuts; sprinkle evenly over cake.
7. Bake 40 minutes. Serve warm or cold.

Reviews

[bricookie55]

This was an enormous hit! I sent this to work with my husband and everybody raved over it. The only gripe I have with this recipe is in the instructions. I tried putting this into a 9x13 pan and found that I didn't have nearly enough batter to even cover the bottom of the pan when I split the batter in half. I tried it in an 8x8 instead, and had great success! The cake rose nicely, just over the top of the pan, but once out of the oven it settled down to be at the pan's rim. This is definitely a fantastic way to use up those gorgeous strawberries! Thanks.

[JackieOhNo!]

This was a big hit, although like other reviewers mentioned, the batter is a little difficult to work with. Still, I used a 13x9 inch pan and used a knife (and my fingers) to spread the batter out. The top layer is easier to work with, since it's just dropping the batter over the berries, sort of like a cobbler. Although I didn't think it tasted like a danish, it was certainly very delicious and received raves all around. I will definitely make this again.

[Jennifer Dawn]

Made this last night for the first time. Easy to make and tasted wonderful. Will definitely make again. Thanks for posting!