Benedictine Liqueur Coffeecake w/ Strawberries

Today, March 28, was the birth date of my mother. She passed away in 1978 at the age of sixty. Although 46 years have passed, it seems like it was only yesterday. She was truly an ‘Angel on Earth’, never to be forgotten by her family or by the people whose lives she touched.

I have so many memories of her wonderful cooking and baking. In her honor today, I decided to post a unique coffeecake recipe.

Since I have become a huge fan of Dom Benedictine Liqueur in sweet & savory recipes, this is the fifth recipe I have developed using it in the ingredients. When I first ‘discovered’ this interesting liqueur, I searched high and low for recipes to incorporate it in my baking and cooking. After having no success finding any, I resorted to my favorite ‘hobby’ of recipe development. So far, I have had good results.

If you’re not familiar with this liqueur, here is a brief bit of history about it. For more in-depth info, check out my blog article from December 2022 under Benedictine Liqueur Cupcakes.

The story of Benedictine dates back to 1510 when a Venetian monk of the Abbey of Fécamp, Dom Bernardo Vincelli, created an elixir intended to support good health. It includes a combination of 27 herbs and spices derived from plants from around the globe, including juniper, myrrh, saffron, vanilla, thyme, coriander and more. The liqueur tastes primarily of honey and baking spices, with citrus peel, herb, and stone fruit notes.

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Benedictine Liqueur Coffeecake w/ Strawberries
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Rating: 5
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Servings
SLICES
Servings
SLICES
Votes: 1
Rating: 5
You:
Rate this recipe!
Instructions
Strawberry Puree
  1. In a food processor, puree strawberries (SET ASIDE ABOUT 8 SLICING INTO THE TOPPING). Over medium-low heat, simmer puree until you have reduced the mixture by about half. Allow to cool completely before using in cake batter.
Coffeecake
  1. Preheat oven to 350 F. Butter a large cylinder pan (or a 9-inch round). Dust with flour & set aside.
  2. Toast pecans on a sheet pan in the oven for 7-8 minutes. Remove nuts from pan right away to prevent further toasting & place on a cutting board to cool, then finely chop.
  3. Sift flour, baking powder & salt together in a bowl. Set aside.
  4. In a large bowl, using a mixer, beat eggs on high until light in color, about 2 minutes. Reduce speed to medium & add sugar; beat until mixture is pale & thick, about 4 minutes. Reduce speed to low; mix in oil & liqueur.
  5. Using a rubber spatula, lightly fold in flour mixture in 3 batches. Fold in toasted pecans. Spread half the cake batter in prepared baking pan. Place dollops of strawberry puree in a zigzag pattern down center of batter. Using the handle of a spoon, swirl puree lightly into batter. Top with remaining batter.
  6. Bake cake until a cake tester inserted in center comes out clean, about 25-30 minutes. Allow cake to cool in pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Turn cake onto a wire rack to cool completely.
Strawberry Puree Topping
  1. With the remainder of the strawberry puree, add honey & vanilla to taste. Combine well. Slice remaining fresh strawberries & fold into puree.
Serving
  1. Slice coffeecake & top with strawberry puree topping. Of course nothing says you can't add some whipped cream or vanilla ice cream!