Cottage Cheese Coffee Cake with Fig Jam

I've had family in for two weeks. Delightful fun but I've had to do a lot of thinking ahead about what to serve for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.

I went to the grocery store and stocked up basics and on fruits and vegetables, and, of course, an assortment of cheeses, but I wanted something fun and unique for a morning and/or afternoon snack.

Something to go with a cup of coffee or tea.

One of my all-time favorite things is coffee cake. Back when I was a teen, I was anorexic. Long story (I was a nervous, Type-A girl with a lot of family issues that I couldn't "fix.") I feel horrible for all of those girls (and boys) who go through this. Like them, I didn't know better. I thought I looked great losing all that weight. I wanted to be a size 2. Silly girl.

I survived and that's because of a lot of factors, one of which was my family (even with all the pitfalls) bolstering me to get through the trauma.

I moved to live with my father and stepmother  my mother and I until her death became close friends). But at that time in my formative years, I needed to get healthy. My father was eager to get me to eat. He would try everything, but nothing seemed to capture my attention. I ate a half grapefruit for breakfast, something light at lunch, and piece of white fish for dinner. I could not be enticed to eat more. I was bones.

And then one Sunday morning, my stepmother made Bisquick coffee cake. While she and my father worked in the garden, I was lured by the aroma of cinnamon to the kitchen table. I wanted a taste. I poured a glass of milk and sat at the table doing the crossword puzzle, and I ate a piece of the cake. At least, that's all I thought I ate. It turned out that I ate the WHOLE THING. Who knew I had a sweet tooth? My father and stepmother were ecstatic. They started to buy me donuts and making anything sweet to get me to put back on pounds.

Now, I've gotten my weight and my eating issues under control, but I still have a sweet tooth, and I adore coffee cake. You all know that I have to eat gluten-free (I don't think this is a result of my anorexia, but who knows!), so this recipe is gluten-free; however you can make it regular by substituting the gluten-free Bisquick mix with regular. Also, I've modified the Bisquick recipe to add extra moisture; hence, the cheese.

BTW, this coffee cake was inspired by fresh figs. I'm not sure if you can get them in your part of the country, but if you can't, use another jam of choice, and enjoy!

Cottage Cheese Coffee Cake

Ingredients:

2 cups Bisquick gluten-free mix

2/3 cup milk plus 1 tablespoon water

1 egg

2 tablespoons sugar

5 tablespoons cottage cheese

Topping:

1/3 cup Bisquick gluten-free mix

1/3 cup brown sugar

2 teaspoons cinnamon

2 tablespoons butter, melted

Directions:

Heat oven to 400 degrees.

Grease an 8 x8 pan.

In medium bowl, mix gluten-free Bisquick mix, milk, water, egg and sugar. Pour the mixture into the 8 x 8 pan.

Put dollops of the cottage cheese on top of the mixture, then spread evenly.

Make the topping. Mix Bisquick, brown sugar, cinnamon and melted butter. Drop by dollops on the cottage cheese, spread evenly with your fingers or a fork.

Swirl with a knife to incoroproate the ingredients, ever so slightly.

Bake 20-24 minutes until a warm medium brown. Cool 10 to 20 minutes.

Fig Jam (similar to apricot jam posted a few weeks ago)

Ingredients:

8-12 large figs, sliced, tips removed (1 cup chopped up)

1 1/2 cup sugar
1 1/8 cup water
3/4 tablespoon pectic powder

Directions:

Wear long sleeves. You do not want to get burned by boiling sugar! 

You need a sugar/candy thermometer.

Heat the fruit and water in a deep saucepan to 120 degrees.

Mix 1 1/2 tablespoons of the sugar with pectin. Whisk together.

Add the pectin mixture to the fruit and water mixture and whisk. Bring to boil for one minute.

Add the rest of the sugar to the saucepan. Cook to 223 degrees. 

At 223 degrees, remove mixture from heat and cool to room temperature. Store in a glass or Tupperware style container and seal. It'll last at least a month.

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