Tea with St. Nicholas and Christmas Morning Coffee Cake

Christmas morning just got sweeter with Christmas Morning Coffee Cake. Tart dried cherries join salty pistachios for hints of festive red and green, with a warmly spiced streusel topping and sweet vanilla glaze. Perfect for Christmas morning, teatime or anytime you slice it!

Welcome to the December edition of Tea on Tuesdays,

a celebration of all things ‘tea’

on the third Tuesday of the month!

Pam and I are excited to welcome back a special guest,

Kitty, from Kitty’s Kozy Kitchen.

Kitty is a fellow tea enthusiast who shares delicious recipes and her love of cooking.

Can you believe a week from today is Christmas Eve?

This is a busy week with last minute shopping, baking and traveling for the holidays, so we’re honored you’re taking time out of your busy schedule to join us!

You can find Pam’s and Kitty’s invitations to tea at the bottom of this post.

This post contains affiliate links. For more information see my disclosure policy. As an Amazon associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. If you purchase anything through an affiliate link, I earn a small commission at no extra cost to you.

Join me by the twinkling lights of the tree for a cup of Holiday Spiced Tea!

Harney and Sons Holiday Tea is a black tea spiced with citrus, almond, clove and cinnamon.

It’s rated 2 for briskness and body, and 3 for aroma, which is heavenly!

Each sachet contains enough tea to brew two cups. ☕☕

St. Nicholas by Fitz & Floyd (1978 – 1996)

has been my favorite Christmas pattern since 1984, the year we got married.

You can see it at A Visit From St. Nicholas Christmas Tablescape.

I was on the Fitz and Floyd website recently and was surprised

to see the retired pattern is back in production!

  And available in a 16-piece dinnerware set with coupe style plates, bowls and mugs!

My teapot is dressed for the holidays, adorned with a tartan ribbon bow.

Beaded candy cane napkin rings add a little sparkle for the holidays,

repeating the pattern in candy cane bread and butter plates . . .

Along with beaded placemats and garland, swagged through greenery at the table. . .

boxwood, cedar, Leyland cypress, magnolia leaves, along with some pinecones.

Two of Santa’s reindeer are prancing at the table. . .

Dasher and Dancer!

🦌 🦌

Help yourself to a slice of Christmas Morning Coffee Cake. . .

It’s studded with tart dried cranberries and has a warmly spiced streusel topping

with chopped pistachios and is drizzled with a sweet vanilla glaze.

It’s delicious anytime you slice it, served with a cup of your favorite tea or coffee.

Christmas Morning Coffee Cake,

recipe adapted Southern Living

🎄 Cake Ingredients:

3 cups all-purpose flour

1 tsp. kosher salt

1/2 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. baking soda

2 cups granulated sugar

1 cup unsalted butter (2 sticks) softened

2 tsp. vanilla extract

4 large eggs, room temperature

2 cups sour cream (from [16-oz.] container)

1 cup dried tart cherries, chopped (from [5-oz.] pkg.)

🎄 Streusel Topping:

3/4 cup shelled roasted salted pistachios, chopped

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 cup firmly packed light brown sugar

1 tsp. ground cinnamon

1/2 tsp. fresh ground nutmeg

1/4 tsp. kosher salt

1/3 cup unsalted butter, melted

🎄 Vanilla Glaze:

1 cup powdered sugar

5 Tbsp. heavy cream or half and half

½ tsp. pure vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 325°F. Spray a 10-inch tube pan with baking spray with flour, like Baker’s Joy.

I used a 2-Piece 9.5-Inch Angel Food Cake Pan with Feet

🎄Prepare the Cake:

Whisk together flour, salt, baking powder, and baking soda in a bowl.

Beat together sugar and butter on medium-high speed with a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment until light and fluffy, about 4 minutes.

With mixer on low speed, add vanilla and eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Add flour mixture and sour cream alternately to butter mixture, beginning and ending with flour mixture. Fold in dried cherries.

Pour batter into prepared tube pan.

🎄 Prepare the Topping:

Stir together pistachios, flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt until combined. Stir in butter. Sprinkle over batter.

Bake in preheated oven until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean, 65 to 70 minutes. Cool in pan 30 minutes. Remove from pan; place streusel side up on a platter.

🎄 Prepare the Vanilla Glaze:

Whisk together powdered sugar, vanilla extract and cream until smooth. Drizzle over cooled cake.

🎄 🎄 🎄

Looking for a savory Christmas teatime treat?

Try Christmas Tree Cheese Straws

The cheese mixture comes together quickly in your food processor and are stamped

through a cookie press for festive seasonal treat!

Print Recipe

Christmas Morning Coffee Cake

Christmas morning just got sweeter with Christmas Morning Coffee Cake. Tart dried cherries join salty pistachios for hints of festive red and green, with a warmly spiced streusel topping and sweet vanilla glaze. Perfect for Christmas morning, teatime or anytime you slice it!

Prep Time15 minutes mins

Cook Time1 hour hr 5 minutes mins

cool time30 minutes mins

Total Time1 hour hr 50 minutes mins

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Keyword: Christmas, coffee cake, dried cherries, pistachios, powdered sugar glaze, streusel topping

Servings: 12 servings

Equipment

• 9.5-inch or 10-inch tube pan

Ingredients

Cake:

• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp. kosher salt
• 1/2 tsp. baking powder
• 1/2 tsp. baking soda
• 2 cups granulated sugar
• 1 cup unsalted butter (2 sticks) softened
• 2 tsp. vanilla extract
• 4 large eggs room temperature
• 2 cups sour cream (full fat for best flavor and texture) from [16-oz.] container
• 1 cup dried tart cherries chopped (from [5-oz.] pkg.)

Topping:

• 3/4 cup shelled roasted salted pistachios chopped
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
• 1 tsp. ground cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp. fresh ground nutmeg
• 1/4 tsp. kosher salt
• 1/3 cup unsalted butter melted

Glaze:

• 1 cup powdered sugar
• 5 Tbsp. heavy cream / half and half
• 1/2 tsp. pure vanilla extract

Instructions

Prepare oven and pan:

• Preheat oven to 325°F. Spray a 10-inch tube pan with baking spray with flour.
• Prepare the Cake:
• Whisk together flour, salt, baking powder, and baking soda in a bowl.
• Beat together sugar and butter on medium-high speed with a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment until light and fluffy, about 4 minutes.
• With mixer on low speed, add vanilla and eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Add flour mixture and sour cream alternately to butter mixture, beginning and ending with flour mixture. Fold in dried cherries.
• Pour batter into prepared tube pan.

Prepare the Topping:

• Stir together pistachios, flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt until combined. Stir in butter. Sprinkle over batter.
• Bake in preheated oven until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean, 65 to 70 minutes. Cool in pan 30 minutes. Remove from pan; place streusel side up on a platter.

Prepare Glaze:

• Whisk together powdered sugar, vanilla extract and cream or half and half until smooth. Drizzle over cake.

Notes

• Swap out pistachios for pecans or walnuts, or omit the nuts if you prefer.
• For best texture and flavor use full fat sour cream. The fat content in the sour cream shortens the gluten strands in the flour making for a tender, moist and rich cake. Sour cream also adds acidity which activates the baking soda for a better rise.

Table Details:

Dinnerware / Fitz and Floyd St. Nicholas

Reindeer / Fitz and Floyd

Tartan Chargers / Williams-Sonoma

Beaded Placemats / Kohl’s, several years ago

Napkin Rings and Napkins / Pier 1

Santa Demitasse Spoons / Towle Everyday Falling Snowflakes

Wallace Corsica Gold-Accent Flatware

You’re invited to join Pam and Kitty for tea:

Pam at Everyday Living

Kitty at Kitty’s Kozy Kitchen

Thank you for your visit, sharing with:

 Tablescape Thursday