Danish Chocolate Streusel-Swirled Coffee Cake

Okay I know I shouldn't call it a cake, this definitely is a bread!
Although m not sure why is it named so by Ms. Lou Seibert Pappas!!

And why why why is it called Danish, there's nothing Danish-Pastryish in this bread, apart from the large amount of butter that went into it! Do you reckon it's because of that??

I was going through all this and much more while making this bread/cake, but all my doubts/worries/musings went flying out of the window once I tasted the bread.

or..... cake.....

 no definitely bread!

The texture is so soft and the chocolate streusel is just so beautiful. Its pure magic. Its heavenly. mmmmmm. Actually after taking a bite you can kinda see why it is called  "Danish" as the texture of the bread (yup m going to call it bread) is buttery and light just like a danish pastry.

According to Lou Seibert Pappas-
This chocolate-filled sweet bread always graces our table at the Christmas and Easter holiday seasons. It has been a family favorite since the ’60s. Sometimes, an almond paste filling replaces the chocolate one.
Lou Seibert Pappas actually takes us on a roller coaster equivalent in our baking world, and guys making this bread sure was a fun ride! At first we start out with a normal creaming method cake, with beating the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, then we add eggs and so on..just like we make our cakes...right? But along the way, yeast gets introduced into our mixture and before we know it, we are making it like a soft dough bread mixture and kneading and shaping it like a normal bread dough. And then you are like, how the hell this happened???


The recommended amount of flour in the given recipe is 4-5 cups, but I ended up using approximately 7 cups of flour (sweating and trying to get the dough to the soft ball consistency....ladies be fair warned, a lot of elbow grease goes into making this). Nevertheless, the bread turned out delicious and flavorful. The huge amount yielded two giant sized loaves, one of which was polished off at home and I took the other to my baking class, where it was largely appreciated (claps claps).


I made this cake for our The Home Bakers' (THB) group.  THB is a bloghop organised by the wonderful Joyce of The Kitchen Flavours.

                                         
For this event we are baking all the recipes from one book, Coffee Cakes by Lou Seibert Pappas, until all the recipes has been baked. As per the rules of the THB, we all make the chosen recipe every three weeks but only the host of the chosen bake can post the full recipe on her/his blog and it is my turn to provide the recipe as I m the host this month. Please visit the THB site to view the delicious breads/cakes made by other members of the group.

Danish Chocolate Streusel-Swirled Coffee Cake

Ingredients:
Adapted from Coffee Cakes by Lou Seibert Pappas

For the cake/bread

1 package active dry yeast
1/4 cup warm water, 105°F to 115°F (41°C to 46°C)
Pinch of sugar, plus 6 tablespoons (90 grams)
12 tablespoons (170 grams) unsalted butter at room temperature
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons vanilla extract, or 1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom
3 large eggs
4 1/2 to 5 cups (550 grams) unbleached all-purpose flour ( I ended up using approximately 700 grams)
1 cup warm milk, 105°F to 115°F (41°C to 46°C)
For the chocolate streusel
2/3 cup (150 grams) sugar
1/4 cup (30 grams) unbleached all-purpose flour
3 tablespoons (45 grams) cold unsalted butter, cut into bits
2 tablespoons (30 grams) unsweetened cocoa powder
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

For the topping
1 egg white, beaten until foamy
3 tablespoons sliced almonds

Method:
In a small bowl, sprinkle the yeast over the warm water. Add the pinch of sugar, stir to dissolve, and let stand until foamy, about 10 minutes.
In a large bowl, beat the 6 tablespoons sugar, the butter, salt, and vanilla or cardamom together with a wooden spoon or a heavy-duty electric mixer until light and fluffy. Add the eggs and beat well. Add 1 cup of the flour and beat until smooth. Add the milk, then gradually add 2 cups of the flour, 1 cup at a time, beating well. Stir in the yeast mixture. Gradually add enough of the 1 1/2 to 2 cups remaining flour to make a soft dough. Turn out on a floured board and knead until smooth and elastic, 8 to 10 minutes. Place in a buttered bowl, turn to coat, and cover with plastic wrap or a damp tea towel. Let rise in a warm place until doubled in size, about 1 1/2 hours.

Make the chocolate streusel
In a medium bowl or a food processor, mix the sugar, flour, butter, cocoa, and cinnamon together. Cut the butter in with your fingers or process until crumbly.

Coming back to your bread dough, punch down the dough and turn it out on a lightly floured board and knead lightly until smooth, 1 or 2 minutes. Cut the dough in half. Roll one half into a 10-by-14-inch rectangle. Spread evenly with half of the Chocolate Streusel.

Roll up and place, seam side down, on a buttered baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining dough and filling, placing the loaf on a separate buttered baking sheet.

With clean scissors, snip each loaf at 3/4-inch intervals, cutting three-fourths of the way through the dough.

Starting at one end, pull and twist each cut slice on its side to lie flat on alternate sides.

Cover with a towel and let rise in a warm place until doubled in size, about 45 minutes (at this stage, you can keep the second loaf, covered with a wet muslin cloth, in the fridge and took it out the next day, and proceed with the proving).
Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Brush the loaves with the egg white and sprinkle with the nuts.

Place in the oven, reduce the heat to 325°F (160°C), and bake for 30 to 35 minutes, or until golden brown.

 Transfer the loaves to wire racks to cool completely. Cut into 3/4-inch-thick slices to serve. Or, wrap and freeze for up to 2 months.

Almond Paste Filling Variation:
 In a small bowl, combine 8 ounces almond paste, 4 tablespoons unsalted butter at room temperature, 2 tablespoons sugar, 1/3 cup (1 1/2 ounces) finely chopped almonds, and 1 egg. Beat until blended. Use instead of the chocolate streusel.

Enjoy!!!