Kitchen Focus

When cake mixes go on sale for less than a dollar a package, I pick up a wide variety and keep them on hand. It's not that I use them very often to make regular cakes -- although I do. More often, I use them in creative and unusual ways. I make cookies, crusts, bars and all manner of sweets. Cake mixes make for such versatile ingredients since they combine two of the ingredients common to many desserts: sugar and flour. In fact, I often will look at a recipe and wonder if and how I can utilize cake mixes to speed the process of making it. Try it sometime and you might be surprised!

This month, I am sharing a super simple coffee cake that's studded with cherries and drizzled with a sweet glaze and almonds. The cake itself has a tangy flavor that's added by a blend of sour cream and yogurt. You can substitute any flavor of pie filling for the cherry suggested here. Blueberry and raspberry are particularly well-suited to this treat. So put together this simple dessert, get a pot of coffee brewing and get ready to sit back for a bit. Enjoy!

Very Cherry Coffeecake

  • 1 package white cake mix
  • 1 tsp. ground cinnamon
  • 1/2 c. sour cream
  • 1/2 c. plain yogurt
  • 3 eggs
  • 1/4 c. water
  • 1 can (21 oz.) cherry pie filling
  • 1/4 c. sliced almonds
  • 1 c. powdered sugar
  • 2 T. milk

Combine the cake mix, cinnamon, sour cream, yogurt, eggs and water. Beat until well blended. Pour into a greased and floured 9x13-inch baking pan. Spoon the pie filling over the top of the cake batter. Bake in a 350 degree oven for 35 minutes or until the cake is set. Remove from the oven, sprinkle with the nuts and cool for 10 minutes.

Combine the powdered sugar and milk to form a glaze. Drizzle over the cake and cool completely.

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