Ingredients

For the sweet yeast dough

About 2 3/4 cups (12 1/4 ounces) all-purpose flour

1/4 cup (1 3/4 ounces) granulated sugar

2 1/4 teaspoons (1 envelope) instant yeast

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/3 cup (2 1/2 fluid ounces) whole milk

2 ounces unsalted butter

1/4 cup (2 fluid ounces) water

1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

2 large eggs, at room temperature

For the lemon paste pie filling

1/2 cup (3 1/2 ounces) granulated sugar

3 tablespoons finely grated lemon zest (3 lemons)

1 tablespoons finely grated orange zest

2 ounces unsalted butter, melted

For the tangy cream cheese icing

3 ounces cream cheese, softened

1/3 cup (1 1/4 ounce) powdered sugar

1 tablespoon whole milk

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

Get more deliciousness at Lemon Pull-Apart Coffee Cake Recipe | Leite’s Culinaria

Preparation

Dough: Stir together 2 cups of flour, sugar, yeast, and salt; set aside. In a small saucepan, heat the milk and butter over low heat just until the butter is melted. Remove from heat, add water, and set aside until warm, about 1 minute. Add vanilla

Pour milk mixture over yeast mixture and mix. Add eggs, one at a time, mixing after each addition just until incorporated. Stop the mixer, add 1/2 cup of remaining flour, and resume mixing on low speed until dough is smooth, 30-45 seconds. Add 2 more tbsp flour and mix until dough is smooth and slightly sticky, about 45 seconds.

Sprinkle a work surface with flour. Knead gently until smooth and no longer sticky, about 1 minute. Place dough in a large bowl, cover bowl with plastic wrap, and let dough rise in a warm place until doubled in size, 45-60 minutes. While dough is rising, make filling.

Filling: In a small bowl, mix together sugar, lemon and orange zests.

Coffee cake: Preheat the oven to 350°F. Spray a 9x5x3 loaf pan.

Gently deflate dough. On a lightly floured work surface, roll out dough into a 20x12" rectangle. Spread melted butter over the dough. Cut dough crosswise into 5 strips. Sprinkle 1 1/2 tbsp of the zest-sugar mixture over one of the buttered rectangles. Top with a second rectangle, then repeat, ending with a stack of 5 rectangles.

Slice the stack crosswise through the 5 layers to create 6 equal strips. Fit layered strips into prepared loaf pan, cut edges up. Cover pan with plastic wrap and let dough rise in a warm place until puffy and almost doubled in size, 30-50 minutes.

Bake coffee cake until the top is golden brown, 30-35 minutes. Let cool.

Icing: In a medium bowl, mix cream cheese and sugar until smooth. Beat in milk and lemon juice until the mixture is creamy and smooth.

Slip a sheet of waxed paper under the rack which the cake in on to catch any drips from the icing. Using a pastry brush, coat the top of the warm cake with the icing to glaze it.