Reese Krantz Cake

It's officially fall now, which means I start baking all of the glorious recipes that signify autumn (think pumpkin everything!) and I get back into the routine of baking different kinds of bread every week-end. It's something I've done for years, and a process that I get so much satisfaction from. There are so many amazing yeasted bread and cake recipes out there to try, and literally nothing makes the house smell better!

I do especially love to make yeasted coffee cakes, or sweet breads, for friends and company. Krantz Cake is one such treat; a stunning, chocolate-y swirled, sweet yeasted cake that is rolled and twisted into a beautiful decadent loaf. Once baked, it is brushed generously with a simple syrup that creates a shiny loaf that's almost too pretty to eat! I decided to make a Reese version, and bake it in a springform pan instead of a loaf pan, which created this gorgeous twisty cake. The folks at Hershey's Canadakindly sent me some Reese Spread to try, and I knew as soon as I licked that first spoonful, it was destined to be in a yeasted cake.

The process couldn't be simpler, and I easily adapted my homemade white bread recipe to include more eggs and butter. I left this rich egg-y dough to rise and then spread it with 2 gloriously chocolate-y, peanut-y, cups of Reese Spread and sprinkled it with chopped peanuts before baking. Once out of the oven, I brushed it with a simple syrup and left it to cool. I had to guard this warm, delicious cake with my life as others were eager to dig in! Once cool, the flavor was just as I suspected, a sweet, soft yeasted cake full of little pockets of Reese peanut butter decadence. Reese swirls everybody! Reese swirls!

Don't be intimidated by working with yeast. I used a rapid rise version, which requires no proofing and is simply added to the flour at the beginning of mixing. Most Krantz recipes call for refrigerating the dough overnight, but I've opted to skip that step with outstanding results. A stand mixer makes this process ridiculously easy and there is very little hands on time. The dough has two rise times before baking, which leaves plenty of time to do other things in between.

I've made this a few times already. The last time I promptly divided the cake into thirds and delivered it to friends. Honestly, something this good is meant to be shared.

Happy peanut-y, chocolate-y, finger licking Reese baking friends,

Renee

Reese Krantz Cake

Ingredients

• 4 1/2 cups of flour (up to 5 cups if needed)
• 2 tsp rapid rise yeast
• 1/2 cup honey
• 1 cup milk, warmed to 110°
• 1/2 cup soft butter cut into chunks
• 2 tsp salt
• 3 large eggs
• 2 cups Reese Spread
• 1/2 cup + 2 tbsp. chopped peanuts
• 2/3 c water
• 12 tbsp. sugar

Directions

1. In a stand mixer with the dough hook attachment, add two cups of flour, the yeast and honey. Stir for about one minute. Add another cup of flour, the milk, and salt. Mix until dough starts to combine. Add another cup of flour, the eggs (one at a time) and slowly add the butter. Add the last 1/2 cup of flour and knead the dough for 3 minutes, adding an additional 1/2 cup if needed, just until the dough starts to pull away from the side of the bowl. It will be tacky to touch. Place the dough in a large bowl sprayed with non-stick spray, cover with a tea towel and leave in a warm, draft free area for 2 hours. The dough will rise very little.
2. After the first rise, roll the dough out, onto a floured surface, into a rectangle that is approximately 15″ x 20″, with the longest side facing you. Spread the dough with the Reese Spread (right to the edges) and sprinkle with the 1/2 cup of chopped peanuts. Roll the dough up into a long tight log and use both hands to even out the long piece. Using a sharp knife slice the entire log in half (lengthwise), exposing the gorgeous layers of Reese Spread and dividing the log into two long halves. With the cut sides facing up, gently press together one end of each half, and then lift the right half over the left half. Repeat this process, but this time lift the left half over the right, to create a simple, two-pronged twisted plait, keeping those Reese layers at the top. Gently place this twisted dough into a well sprayed 10″ springform pan, winding it as best you can, to make it fit. Sprinkle with the remaining peanuts. Cover again with the tea towel and leave to rest for an hour.
3. Bake at 375° for approx. 27 minutes. While the cake is in the oven, make the simple syrup. In a small saucepan bring the water and 12 tbsp. of sugar just to a simmer. Remove from heat. Once cake is removed from the oven, brush all over with most of the simple syrup while it's still hot. I didn't use it all, there were a few teaspoons of syrup left when I was done. Release the pan once the cake is cool. This cake kept very well in a covered cake carrier for a few days. It never lasted longer than that!

Notes:

1. This cake can easily be made in two 9″ loaf pans. Once the dough is twisted, cut it in half and place each piece in a well sprayed loaf pan. Cover with a tea towel for an hour and bake as directed above.

*This post has been sponsored by Hershey's Canada and I have been compensated both monetarily and with product. All opinions here are my own. I wouldn't endorse any product unless I thought it was fantastic and I'm happy to share it with you!