Sweet Potato Caramel Twist Coffee Cake

Most of my cooking lately has been for breakfast or brunch. I found this recipe that is very good. However, it uses pecans on the topping and I know that some of my family do not like nuts very much. One time, when I made some cinnamon rolls that called for pecans, I subsituted chopped apples, and it was a hit with the non-nut eaters. I haven't tried it with this recipe yet, because my husband likes it so much like it is.

Sweet Potato Caramel Twist Coffee Cake

Part I

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees
• Place 1/3 cup butter/margarine in 9" square pan, and melt the butter in the oven.
• Stir in 1/2 cup packed brown sugar (I use dark) & 1/3 cup of Corn Syrup.
• Sprinkle with 1/2 cup chopped pecans (see above note about apples).

Part II

• In medium bowl mix 2 1/2-cups of Bisquick, 1/3 cup of milk & 2/3 cup of vaccuum packed sweet potatoes, mashed. (I buy a 15-oz can of sweet potatoes and divide it in half, you can use it twice, or make a double batch out of 1 can. If there is extra syrup, I save it and use it as liquid in another recipe.)
• Mix until dough forms a ball
• Turn out onto board or pastry cloth* that is dusted with flour or bisquick.
• Lightly knead 10 times.
• Roll or pat dough into a 12-inch square
• Spread dough with 2 tablespoons of softened butter or margarine (I don't measure, I just get a knife and soft margarine and spread it like making a sandwich).
• Sprinkle 3 tablespoons of brown sugar over butter (adjust to your personal taste).

Part IV

• Fold dough into thirds and seal the edges by pinching them together. (it looks kind of like a strudel at this point).
• Cut into 12 one-inch strips.
• Twist ends of each strip in opposite directions.
• Arrange on top of pecans in pan. (It may not seem as if they will all fit, but they do, just push, twist, etc, until the pecans are no longer visible.

Part V

• Bake 25-30 minutes until golden brown.
• Immediately turn upside down on heatproof plate. (I usually use parchment paper over a plate for easier clean-up, today I am trying aluminum foil, so I can wrap up the leftovers and re-heat).
• Leave pan over cake for 1 minute.
• Serve warm. I really like it with butter

Tip: Immediately wash your pan and utensils after using them as the sticky stuff is hard to get off if you let it set.

* In case someone doesn't know about a pastry cloth, they have cloths that you can slip over your rolling pin & ones that you can spread on your bread board instead of putting the dough directly on the board. It makes for a much easier clean-up. I have lost mine, so I just use an old dish towel, the kind that doesn't have any nap on it. For the rolling pin sleeve, you can use an old clean sock (nap-free) that is cut to fit your rolling pin. I usually just use the dishtowel for the board. It used to be so hard to take the board outside to shake off the flour and wash the board, etc.

If anyone tries the apples for this recipe, please let me know. Also, let me know of any other substitutions that might be good.