Multi-purpose tear and share coffee cake!! I guess if you had a house full of ‘hangry’ teenagers – it would come in handy as they surfaced. The only drawback being it needs time to rise. So one of those moments when a stand mixer comes in very handy.

Sharing Cake over Coffee

I was going to save this cake for Easter, but given all that is happening, I thought it was the perfect recipe to share right now. A light buttery bread-like cake, folded into small tearable croissant shapes coated in a heavenly buttery orange glaze—the perfect thing for a lengthy discussion over coffee. And let’s be honest – there is plenty to talk about at the moment.

Adapted from Jared Downing’s charming account of his grandmother’s recipe, which she made every Christmas, we have now adapted it as a coffee cake to share with friends at any time of the year.

A Welcome Addition To The Easter Menu

So herein is my version, true to the original recipe apart from a few extra spices and golden raisins in the bread. It is uncannily similar to the beautiful Greek Easter bread Tsoureki, which adds orange zest and mahlepi (ground seeds of the European cherry), a floral spice widely used in Greek Holy bread. I wonder if Downing’s grandmother’s recipe was, in fact, an Easter bread that she adapted.

It takes time for the dough to rise. However, apart from that, it’s straightforward and a recipe that begs to be adapted even more. I’m not a huge fan of icing, but at Easter time, you could go to town and decorate it with a little delicate icing. Adding small marzipan balls in place of the raisins would be pretty tasty? And it would, most definitely, benefit from a few colourful small chocolate eggs.

I love this Polish china oven dish, and it seems very appropriate to use it right now. However, by all means, line your oven dish with greaseproof paper slightly hanging over the edge (length and breadth ), so you can lift it out (once it’s cooled) and serve on a large platter or board. Easier to tear and share that way. Provide plenty of napkins for sticky fingers. 😁😁😁

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