Pull Apart Coffee Cake

                                                                                                                                     

Matt.28:6 He is not here, for he has risen, as he said. Come, see the place where he lay.

2 boxes of frozen puff pastry, thawed

Lemon Sugar Filling

1/2 cup granulated sugar

Zest of three lemons

1 tablespoon finely grated orange zest

2 ounces unsalted butter, melted

Tangy Cream Cheese Icing

3 ounces cream cheese, softened

1/3 cup powdered sugar

1 tablespoon whole milk

1 1/2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

Mix the sugar, lemon zest, and orange zest.  Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease a 9″x5″ loaf pan.

Forming the loaf:  Use a pastry brush to thickly coat the dough with the melted butter. Use a pastry cutter to cut each package of puff pastry into 6 strips. Sprinkle 1 ½ T lemon sugar over each strip and press sugar into pastry. Continue until you have a stack of 6 strips stacked on top of each other. Cut into 3 stacks and stand the squares on their side to bake.

Bake the loaf for 20 minutes and then check to make sure that top isn't browning too quickly. If it is, just cover the top of the loaf with tinfoil and continue baking. My loaf took a little over 40 minutes to bake completely. When done, transfer to a wire rack and let cool in the pan for 10 to 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, make the cream cheese icing. Beat the cream cheese and powdered sugar in a medium bowl with a wooden spoon until smooth; add the milk and lemon juice. Stir until creamy and smooth. Spread over the warm bread (you might want to put some plastic wrap or parchment paper under the bread to catch the drips)