Cinnamon Pecan Swirl Coffee Cake

 I love Sundays. . . for so many reasons, and breakfast is NOT one of them.  I shouldn't admit it, but I RARELY cook a nice breakfast on a weekend.  If I'm going to put my heart into a meal, it's only gonna happen once a day, (which is usually dinner time).  On the rare occasion that I DO make "breakfast" it's not in the morning.  I'm a "breakfast for dinner" kind of girl. 

HOWEVER. . . I CAN and WILL make a quick batch of banana bread, make up some granola, or whip up a coffee cake on a Saturday night so my family has a special treat on Sunday mornings before church. 

Last night around 10:00, Dave and I decided to watch a movie (Saving Mr. Banks, I'm a Disney fanatic, totally recommend it) and I thought I might as well toss something in the oven since I'll be up anyways and that way they can have a SOMEWHAT special breakfast before church.

I'm not sure what I enjoyed more about this recipe, the taste, or the smell that worked it's way through my whole house as it baked in the oven.  Not even kidding, by 11:00pm, my house smelled like toasted pecans and cinnamon.  It took everything in my husband to actually wait till morning.  It smelled so good.

 

You see that lovely dark ribbon of goodness buried inside that deliciously moist cake?  That is cinnamon, and brown sugar, and ground pecans, otherwise know as "the heavenly tasty cinnamony swirl."  THAT is what makes this so amazingly wonderful.   That lovely ribbon of flavor will work it's way into every bite if eaten correctly. . . yes. . .there is a correct way to eat this.  It's a no-brainer.  You want that layer in every bite, and you will eat it as such!  

CINNAMON PECAN SWIRL COFFEE CAKE

CAKE BATTER:

1 cup softened butter

2 cups sugar

2 eggs

1 tsp vanilla extract

2 cups flour

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

1 cup sour cream

"RIBBON 'O FLAVOR" aka. "CINNAMON SWIRL"

1/2 cup finely chopped pecans (if you don't like nuts, you don't need to use them!)

1/4 cup brown sugar

1 tsp cinnamon 

1.  In a mixing bowl, cream together the butter, sugar, and eggs. 

2.  In a separate bowl, mix together all of our dry ingredients.

3.  Add your dry ingredients to your creamed mixture alternately with the sour cream.  (Dry ingredients, sour cream, dry ingredients, sour cream, etc.)

4.  In a Bundt pan sprayed with nonstick baking spray, spread half of the cake batter.

5.  In another bowl, combine all the ingredients for the "cinnamon swirl" and sprinkle over the cake batter in the pan.

6.  Spread the rest of the cake batter evenly over the "cinnamon swirl" layer.

7.  Bake at 350 for 50 minutes.  It literally was EXACTLY 50 minutes in the oven for this one!

8.  Let cook in pan for approx. 10 to 15 minutes, and turn onto a plate or cake stand.  Dust with powdered sugar and serve!

Sour Cream Pound Cake!

 

Buttery.  Moist.  Delicious. 

It's your basic Sour Cream Pound Cake recipe you see in every cookbook, and on every website.  I just added a simple splash of almond extract in with the vanilla. 

I love the simplicity of a recipe like this.  Nothing fancy, but you can make it what you want.  Omit the almond and toss in some mini chocolate chips and you have a whole 'notha treat.  How about zesting and orange and plopping in some blueberries?  Doesn't that sound good?  Yeah.  Thought so.

I love that you can go with the timeless traditional recipe, or class it up a bit!  

Sour Cream Pound Cake

1 cup butter, softened
3 cups sugar
6 eggs
3 cups flour
1 cup sour cream
1 tsp almond extract
1 tsp vanilla extract

1.  Preheat oven to 325.

2.  Cream together butter, sugar, and eggs until light and fluffy.

3.  Add in flour.

4.  Mix in the sour cream, and then the extracts.

5.  Dump into a greased/floured bundt pan, and bake for about 1 hour and 20ish minutes.

6.  Let cool, invert onto a cake plate, and serve!  

Cream Cheese Coffee Cake!

It's Bible Study Thursday!  (I realize it's really not Thursday, but just play along for the sake of the story.)  And I'm baking up some treats!  I am hosting a Women's Small Group in my home on Thursday mornings and what's a ladies group without treats?!  You've gotta feed the people!  I am so excited about this group, and we have had such a great time getting to know one another!  One of the things that I really enjoy about this group, is that we're all from different churches and different faiths!  It's incredible that we can all get together in the name of Jesus, and just fellowship over some treats and a GREAT book!  

Not that I want to hook you on the book, but if you haven't read Not a Fan, you SO need to grab the book and open it up!  It's compelling, it's convicting, and most of all, it's a real eye opener!  I could go on and on about this fun group of ladies, but the real reason I'm here right now is this recipe!

Coffee Cake is just cake.  But if you throw the word "Coffee" in front of it, it becomes a wonderful excuse to eat cake for breakfast.  This recipe is one I've made several times, and we all love it more and more each time we enjoy it! 

Cream Cheese Coffee Cake!

FOR THE FILLING:
2 8oz bricks of cream cheese
3/4 cup sugar
1 egg
1 Tbsp vanilla extract

1.  Combine all ingredients in a mixer, and beat until creamy and delicious.

2.   Set aside and prepare the cake!

FOR THE TOPPING:
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup flour
6 Tbsp cold butter

1.  Cut all ingredients together with a pastry blender until crumbly and set aside. 

FOR THE CAKE:
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
1 cup sugar
4 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup sour cream (light or regular)

1.  Combine the flour, powder, soda, and salt.

2.  In a mixing bowl, cream together the butter and sugar.

3.  Add in eggs one at a time.

4.  Beat in the sour cream.

5.  Slowly dump in the dry ingredients and mix until moisted.

6.  Stir in the vanilla.

7.  Pour half the batter in a greased and floured 9 x 13 baking dish and spread.

8.  Top with all of the cream cheese filling.  To do this, I usually put the filling into a pastry bag, and evenly pipe it over the cake batter.

9.  Top the filling now, with the remaining cake batter.

10.  Last but not least, top the whole cake with the delicious, sugary, crumb topping.

11.  Finally, bake in a 350 degree oven for about 40 to 45 minutes!  This is so good hot, but if you're me, you'll prefer it cold!

Monster Cookie Dough Cupcakes!

Who doesn't love Monster Cookies?  It's the best of  all things baked. . .chocolate, peanut butter, creamy, crunchy, delicious!  I found a recipe for something similar to this on the "Something Swanky" blog and had to give it a try!!!  I used her exact recipe for the cake portion. . .but made my own frosting.   

They are amazing. . . especially if you're really looking for that peanut butter flavor!  When I was done making these there was about a cup of leftover Cookie Dough Frosting. . .and I had to throw it away.  Because I knew. . .that if left in a container in the refrigerator, that stuff didn't stand a chance!  Sure, I could have put it in the fridge and walked away. . . for about five minutes. . .but I'd be back.  And so would my kids.  As if having 30 of these babies sitting on my kitchen counter isn't tempting enough, the last thing I need is a giant container of "leftover goodness" calling my name from the fridge!  As I was throwing it away, it was like watching a horror movie in slow motion.  All three of my kids came at me crying :

"""NNNNNnnnnnnooooooooOOOoo!!!!!!!!  Don't do it!!!!!  We'll eeaaatttt ittttt!!!!!"  

That's my worry exactly!  You can pace yourself and eat just one cupcake. . . but given the opportunity to grab a spoon and go for it, there's just no stopping! 

These sweet little cakes will be brought to my church small group tonight, and hopefully devoured! 


Monster Cookie Dough Cupcakes!

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cake:
1/2 cup butter
1 cup peanut butter
2 cups sugar
4 eggs
2 1/2 tsp baking powder
3 cups flour
2/3 cup milk
1 cup mini chocolate chips

1.  Cream together butter, peanut butter, and sugar. 

2.  Add in eggs one at a time until well incorporated. 

3.  Mix together your flour and baking powder.  Add it alternately with the milk. 

4.  Stir in chocolate chips. 

5.  Scoop into cupcake liners (this batch makes about 30 cupcakes) and bake at 350 for about 25 minutes or until cake springs back when touched.  Cool Completely and frost!

Monster Cookie Dough Frosting:
8 oz. Cream Cheese, softened
1/2 c. Butter, softened
3/4 c. Peanut Butter
3 1/2 c. Powdered Sugar (even more if you really want it thick)
1/2 cup Brown Sugar
1/2 cup Flour
1 Tbsp. Vanilla
Milk (enough to get desired consistency) 
2 c. Oats (more or less depending on desired texture)
1 cup Mini Chocolate Chips
1 cup Mini Reese's Pieces
1 cup Mini M&M's

1.  Cream together the cream cheese, butter, and peanut  butter.

2.   Add in the powdered sugar, brown sugar, and flour.  Mixture will be thick! 

3.  Mix in vanilla, and add enough milk to get desired consistency.  (I like mine right between cookie dough and frosting!) 

4.  Mix in oats and candies and top each cupcake with a big old scoop of "cookie dough!"

Rhubarb Upside Down Cake

 

Rhubarb Upside Down Cake

TOPPING
3 cups sliced fresh or frozen rhubarb
1 cup sugar
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 cup butter, melted
 
BATTER
3/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup butter, melted
1 egg
1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon salt
2/3 cup milk
Sweetened whipped cream, optional

Directions

• Place rhubarb in a greased 10-in. heavy oven-proof skillet. Combine sugar, flour and nutmeg; sprinkle over rhubarb. Drizzle with butter; set aside. For batter, in a large bowl, beat the butter and sugar until blended. Beat in the egg. Combine the flour, baking powder, nutmeg and salt. Gradually add to egg mixture alternately with milk, beating well after each addition.
• Spread over rhubarb mixture. Bake at 350° for 35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Loosen edges immediately and invert onto a serving dish.