Swedish Cherry Ring

We had our family fun night showcasing Sweden and I made this recipe for the dessert. It was so good, even though I made some mistakes. It was delicious for breakfast the day after, also. 

 

Cherry Swedish Tea Ring

INGREDIENTS:
Sweet roll dough (see below)
FILLING:
Softened cream cheese
1 can Wilderness More Fruit Cherry Pie Filling , drained
1/2 cup sliced almonds , toasted
1 teaspoon cinnamon, optional
2 tablespoons butter
EGG WASH:
1 large egg
1 tablespoon heavy whipping cream
ICING:
1 cup powdered sugar
1 tablespoon milk
1/4 teaspoon almond extract , or 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

HOW TO PREPARE:
Strain pie filling in a colander with fairly large holes by shaking the colander from side to side to remove as much filling as you can so that mainly the fruit remains. Transfer the cherries to a cutting board and coarsely chop to make a very chunky paste.

Roll Sweet Roll Dough recipe into a rectangle, 15x9 inches, on a lightly floured surface. The dough should be about a 1/4-inch thick. Add a layer of cream cheese filling before spreading the cherries over the dough.

Spread the cherry paste evenly over the dough leaving a 1-inch border of dough at the edge. Sprinkle the cinnamon (if desired) over the cherries and dot with butter.

Starting from the 15-inch side, roll the dough into a log, like you would when making cinnamon rolls. Pinch the open edge seam of the dough to seal the log.

To shape the log into a ring, pick up the dough in your hands and gently stretch as you bring the two ends together as you lay it on a parchment-lined baking sheet, seam side down.

Once it is on the pan it is easier to move it as needed to get the dough into a circle with the two ends touching. Slip one of the ends into the other just a little and pinch the dough around it to seal the ring.

Using sharp kitchen scissors, make cuts 2/3 of the way through the ring at 1-inch intervals to create open sections. Gently separate the sections just a little and let rise until doubled, about 40 minutes.

Heat oven to 375°F. Arrange sliced almonds on a rimmed baking sheet and toast while the oven is heating (about 10 minutes). Continually check the almonds until they light brown..

Just before baking, prepare the egg wash by whisking 1 egg and 1 tablespoon of cream together. Using a pastry brush, gently brush the risen dough with the egg wash to give the finished pastry a shiny, golden appearance.


Bake until golden brown, 20-25 minutes. Check after 15 minutes of baking; if the top is browning too quickly, cover loosely with foil while it finishes baking.


Remove from the oven and cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool (this is where the parchment comes in handy as you can grab the corner of the paper and slide the tea ring off the pan onto the rack).

Once completely cooled, dress with icing and sprinkle with sliced toasted almonds while the icing is still wet.

For the ICING:
Mix 1 cup powdered sugar, 1 tablespoon milk, and 1/4 teaspoon almond extract until the icing is smooth (add more milk 1 teaspoon at a time if needed until the icing is completely smooth). Drizzle over the Swedish tea ring.

Sweet Roll Dough

INGREDIENTS:
1 ⅛ tsp yeast
¼ cup warm water warmed to 110°F
¼ cup whole milk warmed to 110°F
2 ½ tbsp sugar , or honey
¼ cup butter , softened but not melted
½ teaspoon salt
1 egg yolk
1 ¾ cups + 2 tbsp flour

HOW TO PREPARE:
Warm the water and milk to 110°F then combine with yeast and sugar in a mixing bowl. Allow yeast mixture to proof for 5 minutes. Stir in butter, egg yolk, and 1 cup of the flour. Mix until smooth. Add salt and mix in enough remaining flour to make dough easy to handle.

Turn dough onto a lightly floured surface; knead until smooth and elastic, about 5 minutes. Place in a greased bowl; turn greased side up. Cover; let rise in a warm place until double, about 1 1/2 hours.

Punch down dough. Shape and bake based on primary recipe instructions.