Tasty Tuseday with Cory - a Coffee Cake and @CafeEscapes

Hello everyone! I hope that everyone had a wonderful holiday season and New Year!

I recently had the opportunity to host a CAFE ESCAPES Keurig party through HouseParty.com! This was my first ever HouseParty and I really didn't know what to expect but boy was I surprised. I got my party pack a few weeks before the party and it was FULL of CAFE ESCAPES flavored coffees and lattes, chai and hot chocolate drinks!

That's me!

Along with the coffees the pack came with some cookies, a banner, a chalkboard sticker in the shape of a coffee cup, 2 glass cups and saucer (which I used as part of my decor) and vanilla coffee flavored lip balms. Café Escapes also included assorted coupons and items to giveaway plus disposable cups, plates and napkins. A party in the box and all I needed to do figure out WHAT I was going to SERVE for my coffee party!

I invited about 30 guests and about 8 showed up which was plenty. Everyone brought a little something to nosh. We had cakes, cookies, veggie pizza and chocolate Oreo balls among other things. I made a "TUNNEL of CHERRIES” coffee cake in a bunt pan! Super simple, impressive looking and YUMMY!

left: Mary, her husband right: My mother-in-law and a friend

It's basically a boxed cake mix. I happened to have yellow cake mix and you still follow the basic cake instructions but, since it's a coffee cake and a little denser, I OMITTED the oil and used sour cream 1x (1/2 c.) instead, besides, oil is flavorless and nutrient less (regular or Greek style yogurt (1/2) cup can be used as well). To that I added, 3 eggs, 2 tablespoons water, almond extract (if you have it) OR 1/2 tbsp. vanilla (which I used) and a can of cherry pie filling for the filling.

I also made a strudel layer with a 1/2 cup of quick oats, a few tablespoons of brown sugar, crushed walnuts 1/4 cup and a few tablespoons of butter and hand mixed it till it was pea sized crumbles oh, and added some cinnamon...

Cory’s Tunnel of Cherries Coffee Cake

1 box of cake mix
1 can of cherry pie filling
3 eggs
*might need water up to 3 tablespoons
Oil (1/2 c.) OR you can sub. 1/2 cup sour cream, or Greek style or regular yogurt
1/2 tablespoons almond OR vanilla extract

Strudel layer...
1/4 c. (walnut, almond or pecan) nuts crushed
1 tsp. Cinnamon
1/3 cup of quick oats,
2-3 tablespoons of brown sugar
A couple pats of butter.

Mix together till it forms pea sized crumbles set aside

Make cake mix- adding oil OR sour cream OR yogurt and extract of choice... beat with a mixer till stiff dough forms...

Place 1/2 of strudel mixture on bottom of the pan

GREASE a bunt pan liberally, or use PAM cooking spray

Pour 1/2 the cake mix in pan and spread evenly

Gently spoons cherries in a layer over cake batter and top with remaining strudel

Top with remaining cake batter and spread evenly...

Preheat oven to 350 and bake 40-50 minutes... Let cool completely and serve.

You can dust with powdered sugar before serving. Serves 10-12 people.

This recipe can be tweaked for any cake flavor and pie filling.

I want to try chocolate cake with cherry pie filling or lemon cake with blueberry filling!

ENJOY!