Brown Sugar Nut Ring

Mom is a fan of coffee cakes, so I am not surprised to find recipes for various types of coffee cakes in her recipe box. I remember Mom making coffee cakes like this one, but I do not specifically recall this cake. A coffee cake is intended to be served with coffee or tea and is usually served with breakfast or brunch. But this tasty coffee cake is delicious any time of day. I made this ring to bring to a friend's house for brunch. But the resulting ring was much larger than I anticipated, I had to cut it into pieces to transport it. So of course MDS and I had to taste test it before to make sure it was safe to eat. It was, and, we had to force ourselves to stop eating it, otherwise there would have been none left for our friends.

The recipe uses yeast giving it more of a bread texture and flavor. The dough has eggs and more butter and sugar than most breads so the coffee cake is richer and sweeter than regular bread. I used a little more chopped pecans than the recipe called for and I wish I had used more, so I increased the amount in the recipe listing below.

Brown Sugar Nut Ring 

• 1/2 cup milk
• 1/2 cup butter
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1 package yeast
• 1/4 cup warm water (about 120 degrees)
• 3 1/2 cups flour
• 2 eggs, beaten
• melted butter
• 2/3 cup brown sugar
• 2 tsp. cinnamon
• 1/2 cup chopped pecans
• About 2 cups cups confectioner's sugar
• 1/2 tsp. vanilla
• water

Scald milk. Add butter, sugar, and salt. Stir until sugar dissolves; cool to lukewarm. Dissolve yeast in water; combine with milk mixture. Stir in half the flour; add eggs and beat well. Add enough of the remaining flour to make soft dough. Turn out on lightly floured surface. Knead until smooth and elastic. Put in a greased bowl and turn over to coat. Cover and let rise until double in size, about one to two hours.

Turn out dough on a floured surface. Roll dough into a 8X12 rectangle. Brush with melted butter. Sprinkle with brown sugar, cinnamon, and nuts. Roll up like a jelly roll. Shape the roll into a ring on a greased baking sheet. From the outside, make cuts into the ring toward the center, about one inch apart. Turn each cut piece slightly to one side. Brush with butter. Let rise for about 45 minutes. Bake at 375 degrees for 20 to 30 minutes. While still warm, spread with thin confectioner's sugar frosting made from confectioner's sugar, vanilla, and water. Enjoy!