Hungarian Coffee Cake

In glass bowl mix 1 pkg of yeast with 1/4 cup very warm water and a pinch of sugar.

1/2 stick of butter
1/4 cup of sugar
1 egg
3/4 cup of milk
3-6 cups of flour

2 cups sugar
cinnamon
1-2 sticks of butter

Heat milk, sugar, and butter until butter is completely melted with the milk. Beat egg and add to mixture. Let cool to very warm rather than 'hot' and add yeast mixture (assuming it has bubbled) to this. Stir in 3-4 cups of flour. Add flour until the dough is just barely not sticky. Knead well. Place in greased bowl and cover with a towel. Let rise.

Take an angel food cake pan with the center that LIFTS OUT and grease well. Melt butter, mix cinnamon and sugar to taste... generally is best if slightly too cinnamony.

Use a biscuit cutter, lid to large cinnamon container, or a lawreys lid (washed) for cutting circles. Flour the surface and when the dough has doubled, punch down and roll out to about 1/4" thick or so. Try to handle the dough as little as possible once you've rolled it. Cut circles by dipping in flour when necessary. Dip each circle in the butter, and then into the cinnamon/sugar mixture and start layering from the outside in. Alternate brick style. Do not pack the layers but rather lay the circles against the previous layer. When you get to the middle, tuck extras to fill the circle without packing it. Use extra circles to bake alone on the cookie sheet and take out eariler.

Heat oven to 400 while this rises some more. Place on cookie sheet and in hot oven, bake for 25-45 minutes (seems to depend upon the oven.) It is done when the tops of the 'cake' is golden brown from baking, not from cinnamon. Let cool for 5 minutes, then remove the center of the pan and place on a plate.

Drizzle with icing over the top and down the sides and for holidays, add marichino cherry halves for a festive look.

We prefer ours hot from the oven or, if served later, wrapped well in aluminum foil while hot to 'sweat' a bit.

Enjoy!

Very difficult recipe.  Not sure the average Jane can handle this so don't be disappointed. 

Peppermint Bark (for Rene`)

Wilton's White Candy Melts  (however many packages you want to make.  We did 4 and it made enough for 2 families.)  You can also use white chocolate chips or white baking bark.

Candy Canes

Wax Paper

Peel the plastic off of all of the candy canes and pulverize.  Try to keep some small chunks but mostly tiny pieces.  Set aside.

Using a double boiler or a glass bowl slung over a pan of boiling water (dont' let it float) pour the melts (one bag at a time, tops) into the bowl and stir as it melts.  As soon as it has melted, stir in enough peppermint chunks to give you a hearty peppermint taste between empty spaces of white chocolate.  Everyone likes different amounts so this is a science that you figure out your own preference.

Spread the melted mixture onto wax paper not allowing it to get much over 1/8" thick.  "Make waves" into the mixture for prettiness by laying the spatula in the mixture and pulling up hither and thither.

Repeat until you've got all of your melts done.  I crush my candy canes by triple zip lock bagging them and pounding them with a rolling pin myself.  I'd love a better way to do it though!

You can do the same for Almond Bark.  Simply use Dove Promises (for best taste) and 1/2 tsp of almond flavoring per two bags of Promises.  (Chocolate bark and chocolate chips work too if you need to save money).  Add a package of almond slivers for every two bags of chocolates and voila!  Instant Almond Bark.