I just finished getting my Cream Cheese Coffeecakes ready to go for tomorrow morning, and if you’re looking for a great prepare-ahead pastry brunch, then look no further. This recipe is from my late mother-in-law who made it every year, and Craig really enjoys it when I re-create it.

The only unusual ingredient is block-style cream cheese, but otherwise you probably have everything else lying around. I prepare it the night before and stop before the baking step — wrap it in plastic and you can easily bake it the next morning right out of the fridge. Oh, and it it fantastically simple and delicious. Trust me: it looks hard, but it really isn’t, and you’ll score lots of points for perceived difficulty ;)

» Patti’s Cream Cheese Coffee Cake.