Baking Junkie

Tag: Cinnamon

Sunday, October 9th, 2011

Pumpkin Gooey Butter Cake

Recipe from Veronica’s Cornucopia, originally from Paula Deen

It’s a little hard to believe that it’s fall since it is almost 80 degrees outside right now, but eating pumpkin flavored treats definitely reminds me!

I made my first gooey butter cake earlier this summer and I thought it was fantastic, so when I saw the recipe for a pumpkin version I had to make it. Immediately. First of all, the recipe is from Paula Deen so you know it’s good (and not so good for you). The base of the cake is made from a yellow cake mix, butter and egg. To me it has a similar flavor to a sugar cookie. The filling for the cake is mainly driven by pumpkin, cream cheese, and butter, with some typical fall flavored spices as well. Remember when baking this cake that it should look a little under-baked. You want it to be a little “gooey”! I am slowly but sure converting Derek to pumpkin flavored desserts, and he honestly loved this one. He brought it to his office and his co-workers were raving about it as well. Enjoy!

Pumpkin Gooey Butter Cake
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Cake:
1 box yellow cake mix
8 Tbsp butter, melted
1 egg

Filling:
1 (8 oz) package cream cheese, softened
1 (15 oz) can pumpkin
3 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
8 Tbsp butter, melted
4 cups powdered sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp nutmeg

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. With an electric mixer combine the cake mix, 8 Tbsp of melted butter and egg. Pat the mixture into the bottom of a greased 9×13 inch pan. Set aside.

To make the filling beat together the cream cheese and pumpkin. Add eggs and vanilla, then butter. Beat in powdered sugar, then finally add the cinnamon and nutmeg. Pour filling over cake and place in oven. Bake for approximately 45 minutes. Cool completely before serving.

Tags: Cake, Cinnamon, Fall recipes, Pumpkin

Posted in Cake | 3 Comments »

Sunday, April 24th, 2011

Cinnamon Roll Cheesecake

Recipe inspired by Peabody

When I first started making cheesecake, I never imagined making anything other than a plain cheesecake. Derek and I were both completely satisfied with the recipe, and he never asked for anything different.

Then I saw Peabody’s recipe for cinnamon roll cheesecake, and my eyes were opened to a whole new world!

Cinnamon rolls and cheesecake are two of my favorite things, so the thought of combining them seemed perfect (why can’t I ever think of these things first??). While the original recipe looks great, I really wanted to play around with it a little. Many, many years ago my sister gave me a cookbook put together by her company. There are some great recipes, and one of them is for something called a graham streusel cake. It is very similar to a coffee cake, and it has always been a hit. I can’t get enough of the streusel made with graham cracker crumbs so I couldn’t wait to try it in this cheesecake. The premise is very simple: I use my basic cheesecake recipe (you could use this one or your favorite), pour down half the batter, cover with a layer of streusel, followed by remaining batter and then streusel again. Once the cheesecake has been made I drizzle it with the powdered sugar icing that I use on my actual cinnamon rolls. The hardest part for me is always letting the cheesecake cool before slicing into it. Enjoy!

Cinnamon Roll Cheesecake
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Crust:
1 3/4 cups graham cracker crumbs
1 stick butter (melted)
1/2 cup sugar

Filling:
3 (8 oz) packages cream cheese, room temperature
1 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla
3 large eggs

Streusel:
1 cup graham cracker crumbs
½ cup brown sugar
½ tsp cinnamon
½ cup (1 stick) butter, melted

Topping:
2 Tbsp butter, melted
½ tsp vanilla
¾ cup powdered sugar
3 tsp milk

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. To make the crust, combine the graham cracker crumbs and sugar, then add melted butter, mixing with a fork. Press into bottom and slightly up sides of a 9 inch springform pan and bake in the oven for 8 minutes to set.

While the crust is in the oven, begin making the streusel. Using a fork mix together the graham cracker crumbs, brown sugar, and cinnamon, then add melted butter and stir into a crumbly mixture.

In a medium sized bowl beat together cream cheese and sugar. Add vanilla. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each egg. Make sure you scrape the sides of the bowl with a spoon or spatula to fully incorporate all of the ingredients.

Pour half of the cheesecake mixture onto the crust, then top with half of the streusel. Pour remaining cheesecake batter on top and add another layer of the remaining streusel. Place springform pan on rimmed baking sheet and place in the middle rack of the oven. Bake 50-60 minutes. Allow to cool fully (usually a few hours in the refrigerator).

To make the topping mix together the melted butter, vanilla and powdered sugar. Add milk to thin. Drizzle over cheesecake before serving.

Tags: Cheesecake, Cinnamon

Posted in Cheesecake | 8 Comments »

Sunday, April 17th, 2011

Cinnamon Streusel Pancakes

Recipe adapted from Two Peas and Their Pod

I know that I have said it before, but for those of you who are new to the site let me just reiterate one thing:

I. Love. Breakfast. Foods.

I would be completely content eating breakfast for every meal (and I’m pretty sure I’ve done that before)! Lately I seem to have an obsession with pancakes. I have never had a problem eating pancakes from a mix, and still don’t, but my pancake horizons have been expanding. These oatmeal brown sugar pancakes were my first glimpse of the plethora of possibilities out there, and I didn’t think it was possible but I like this recipe even better!

Cinnamon is one of my favorite flavors, so anything with it in the title instantly draws me in. I like to make recipes like this when we have guests, but I couldn’t wait so I just made them on an ordinary weekend when it was just Derek and I. He doesn’t share my obsession with pancakes and is happy just eating one every once in a while, but even these got a reaction out of him. Any recipe that gets him to eat pancakes two days in a row is definitely a winner!

This is one of those recipes that I really have a hard time talking about, simply because I feel I can never fully express to you in words exactly how good they are. There was definitely some moaning involved while I was eating! One is definitely enough, because they are very, very sweet. You probably don’t even need syrup, although it just makes them even better.

My favorite thing about this recipe is that it has actually ended my search for the perfect homemade buttermilk pancakes. If you don’t think you’ll like the streusel, I beg of you to at least try the plain pancake recipe. They are fabulous! Light and fluffy, they taste just like something you would order at a restaurant. I have already made them again for a different (and spectacular) pancake recipe, plus just had some plain, and I’m amazed at how delicious each bite it. Have I convinced you yet??

Enjoy!

Cinnamon Streusel Pancakes
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2 cups all purpose flour
2 Tbsp sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
½ tsp salt
2 cups buttermilk
2 eggs
¼ cup vegetable oil
1 tsp vanilla extract

Streusel:

6 Tbsp cold butter, cut into pieces
½ cup all purpose flour
½ cup brown sugar
1 tsp ground cinnamon

Make the streusel first. Combine all ingredients and cut together using a knife or pastry cutter. Mixture should form small crumbles. Set aside.

In a large bowl whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Set aside.
In a smaller bowl stir together buttermilk, eggs, oil and vanilla. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and stir until just combined. It should be a little lumpy.

Heat a griddle or pan, and either butter or coat with cooking spray. Pour approximately 1 cup of batter onto griddle, then pour approximately 2 tablespoons of the streusel on top. Cook for 2-3 minutes, or until bubbles form on sides. Flip pancake and cover remaining side with streusel. Cook for another 2-3 minutes or until browned. Repeat for remaining pancakes.

Tags: Cinnamon, pancakes, Streusel

Posted in Breakfast | 14 Comments »

Sunday, March 20th, 2011

Cinnamon Baked French Toast

Recipe adapted from The Pioneer Woman

Do you remember when I told you how much I like breakfast food? Well the trend continues with this. I personally love pancakes and french toast. Derek will eat them both, but never craves them and can only eat them so often. I made this when we had friends stay with us a few weekends ago, but since it’s made in a large pan there were still plenty of leftovers. Derek chose not to have any, which meant there were just more for me . I honestly couldn’t wait for breakfast every morning, and was sad when I ate the last bite. I seriously felt a little depressed when I finished it.

For those of you who aren’t familiar with the Pioneer Woman, she is a goddess among food bloggers. Her recipes, photography, and humor are all incredible. This is the first recipe of hers that I have tried, but I’m certain it won’t be the last. It is better to soak the bread in the cream mixture the night before, and also to make the topping ahead of time as well. That way you can pour on the topping, pop it into the oven, and 45 minutes enjoy a slice of pure breakfast heaven. Enjoy!

Cinnamon Baked French Toast
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1 loaf French Bread
8 eggs
2 cups milk (I used skim)
½ cup heavy whipping cream
¾ cup granulated sugar
2 Tbsp vanilla extract

Topping:
½ cup flour
½ cup brown sugar
1 ½ tsp cinnamon
¼ tsp salt
½ cup (1 stick) salted, cold butter, cut into small pieces

Spray a 9×13 inch baking pan with non-stick cooking spray. Tear bread into pieces and place into pan.

In a medium sized bowl whisk together eggs, milk, cream, sugar, and vanilla. Pour over bread. Cover and place in refrigerator overnight, or for at least several hours.

In a separate bowl mix together flour, brown sugar, cinnamon and salt. Add butter and cut in using a pastry cutter or fork. Place in a ziploc bag and store in the refrigerator.

When ready to bake, preheat oven to 350 degrees. Sprinkle topping over bread. Bake for 45 minutes. If you want a firmer, more crunchy taste, bake for closer to one hour.

Serve with butter and maple syrup.

Tags: Cinnamon, Maple

Posted in Breakfast | 13 Comments »

Wednesday, March 16th, 2011

Baked Doughnut Holes

Recipe adapted from Sprinkles of Parsley

I know I’ve said it before, but I honestly love (LOVE) breakfast food. I could eat it for every meal.

Cinnamon rolls? Yes please!

Pancakes? Yum!

Last month I posted a recipe for baked doughnuts and they were fantastic, so when I saw this recipe for baked doughnut holes I almost fell over! They were all I could think about for weeks. We had friends stay with us for a weekend so I tested the recipe out on them.

These are actually baked using a mini muffin pan, so they aren’t quite perfect “holes” but close enough! I’ll be completely honest: they aren’t as good as fried doughnuts, but they are pretty close.

Try not to fill the cups too full, or they will turn out looking more like mini muffins than doughnuts. Once they have cooled slightly I found it easiest to brush butter on all surfaces and then roll them in either powdered sugar or the cinnamon sugar mixture. Personally, we liked the cinnamon sugar the best. The recipe will make about 48 doughnut holes. They only lasted a few days in our house because they make for a perfect grab and go snack (or grab and eat three at a time snack if you prefer). Enjoy!

Baked Doughnut Holes
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3 cups all purpose flour
2 ½ tsp baking powder
¼ tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
½ tsp cinnamon
¾ cup milk
2 Tbsp buttermilk
1 ½ sticks salted butter, room temperature
¾ cup sugar
2 eggs

Toppings:
6-8 Tbsp salted butter, melted
1 cup powdered sugar -OR- 1 cup sugar plus 3 tsp cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a medium sized bowl combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon. Set aside. Also combine the milk and buttermilk and set aside.

Beat butter on medium high speed for several seconds, until creamy. While the mixer is running, slowly add the sugar and beat together for several minutes, until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, mixing until combined.

Using a large spoon alternately add the flour and milk mixtures, beginning and ending with flour. Mix until just combined.

Pour batter into greased mini muffin cups, filling no more than ¾ full. Bake for approximately 20 minutes, or until toothpick inserted into center comes out clean.

Let muffins cool slightly. Place powdered sugar and/or cinnamon sugar mixtures in medium sized bowls. Brush doughnut holes with melted butter and roll in topping of your choice.

Tags: Cinnamon, Doughnuts

Posted in Breakfast, Doughnuts | 6 Comments »