My kitchen is currently overflowing with Pillsbury brownie mixes and refrigerated cookie dough. Don’t worry, I’m not just looking for a sugar high - I’ve just started working on recipes for the 44th Pillsbury Bake-Off! Recipes are due April 20 and I encourage all my fellow food bloggers to enter. You’re such a creative bunch and you only need one good idea to win a trip to Orlando and the chance to compete for $1 million!
When I got the exciting call I was a finalist for the last Bake-Off, I was sure that this coffee cake recipe was the one they picked…it wasn’t, but I promise it’s really delicious and super easy to make. It’s also very versatile – you can easily change the kinds of nuts and fruit you use. My mom is addicted and now asks for it every single time I’m home! Ok, I hope I’ve inspired at least one person to have fun creating some recipes – time to get back to the kitchen!
Apricot Pecan Spiral Coffee Cake
Printable Recipe
Ingredients:
1/4 cup Land O Lakes Unsalted Butter, softened
1/2 cup packed Domino Light Brown Sugar
1 cup Fisher Chef’s Naturals Pecan Pieces
1/2 cup chopped dried apricots
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 (11-oz.) Pillsbury Refrigerated Crusty French Loaf
1/2 cup Smucker’s Apricot Preserves, melted
Directions:
Heat oven to 350˚F. Grease 8-inch round cake pan. In small bowl, combine butter, sugar, pecan pieces, dried apricots, and cinnamon; mix well.
Unroll bread dough onto floured surface, forming a 13×12-inch rectangle. Spread melted preserves evenly over dough. Sprinkle evenly with nut mixture and press lightly into dough.
Cut dough into 8 even 12-inch long strips. Roll up 1 strip into a spiral. Place spiral on next strip, matching ends of strip as you work, and continue rolling. Add 2 more strips to the spiral in the same way. Place spiral into center of greased pan. Cut remaining 4 strips in half to form 8 6-inch strips. To finish the spiral, loosely wrap remaining strips around the centered spiral in the pan, one at a time, matching ends of strips as you work. Spread completed spiral to fit pan, if needed, by pushing the center of the spiral down and out, so spiral fills and touches edges of the pan.
Bake at 350˚F for 28 to 33 minutes, or until coffee cake is golden brown. Immediately invert on serving platter, cool for 5-10 minutes, and cut into wedges. Serve warm. Makes 8 servings.
Nutrition: 372 calories, 17.6g fat, 2.2g fiber, 5.3g protein per serving
Cost: $5.70 total
Cake, Batter, and Bowl features my original recipes for quick, healthy, and inexpensive weeknight meals and indulgent weekend treats. Enjoy!
Mmm, this looks totally delicious. Anything with “spiral” and “coffee cake” in the title must be good! And I just happen to adore apricots. What a fabulous treat! I was thinking about trying to come up with a recipe for the Bake-Off; I’ve never done it before. Congrats on making it to the finals last year; how exciting!!! So glad you found my blog, which led me to yours. Your blog is truly fabulous, and now I’m an official follower!! Can’t wait to read more.
Since I’m a pretty new reader to your blog I didn’t know you were a finalist last year. Your creation looks so delicious, and the spiral effect is so pretty with all those little goodies tucked in between. Good luck with your recipe creating!
Awww, thanks Elyse – I’m having fun with this new hobby
I really enjoy your blog too! Your baked goods look amazing and I think you could definitely could make it to the Bake-Off!
Wow, these look good! Congrats on last year’s challenge, that is awesome!
You were a finalist in the bake off!! How exciting! I’ve put you in my reader so I won’t miss any of your posts, This coffee cake is wonderful!!
This coffee cake is just scrumptious – I would love to have a taste! It’s awesome that you were the finalist for the bake-off last year, wish you success this year too! Can’t wait to see all your recipes!
Kerstin, well done!! This cake looks so delicious!!!
This looks like a great coffee cake! I’ve always wanted to enter the bakeoff, but I’m sure I’ll just live vicariously through you instead
Good luck!
This is such a great idea!!! I love how you create the spiral – very creative
I can’t wait to see what other recipes you come up with using all that brownie mix and cookie dough!!
My sister and I used to enter the Bake off every year when we were growing up. It was always so much fun!
How lucky you were a finalist last year!
The winner for the bake-off a few years ago lives on my brothers block in Austin Texas.
OMGOMGOMGOMG this is so gorgeous!!
Hi Jennifer,
That’s Anna of Cookie Madness! I first learned about her blog at the Bake-Off and it was the first food blog I ever read. I cooked in the mini-kitchen right next to Carolyn, the winner last year. They are both super sweet!
They look great! Good luck in the contest.
omg, you were a finalist in a baking competition??? wow, that is AWESOME. and this looks way too tasty
So cool that you were a finalist the last time. Good luck in the next one!
Wow, Kerstin, look at my post from today! They look so similar except yours is a cake and mine are mini!
what fun! can’t wait to see what you submit for this contest. Good Luck!!
Wow, this sounds amazing. Good luck to you! That’s one I’m not entering. I can’t come up with any ideas. I hope you make it!!
Oh yum, it’s like a giant sticky bun! This looks SO good!
I work for Bass Pecan Company we are having a pecan recipe contest. Enter in a chance to win $1000 at http://www.basspecan.com
Apricots sound like a great addition. Sounds delicious!
wow! with creative baking skills like that, no wonder you were a finalist! good luck in this year’s bake-off, though you probably don’t need any!
Wow! That looks so delicious. YUM.
WOW !!!! This coffee cake is delicious and was really easy to make. My husband loved it!!!!!!!!!
So interesting to see how you make the spiral
Wow, this is such a pretty cake, it sounds so delicious too.
Cheers,
elra
Holy Cow, a finalist.. I am so impressed! Good for you and even better luck this year!! This look so outrageously delicious! I will be trying it!
Wow, how creative of you…this looks so gooey and I think your mom will appreciate it for Mother’s Day!
YUM! That looks decadant! Good luck on the Bake-Off! I have no skills in creating my own recipes, so I can only cheer on other bloggers!
What a beautiful cake! I can see why you thought this might be the one they chose for the contest. The other must be fantastic. Good luck.