Buttery Cinnabon Cake (or Cinnamon Roll Cake)

Michelle F and I started baking about once a week! Two Mondays ago we made this cinnamon roll cake (found the recipe on Lovin' From the Oven,who got it from The Girl Who Ate Everything, who got it from Picky Palate, who got it from her brother-in-law's mom). We used the recipe on Lovin' From the Oven (there have been a few modifications along the way). It's a tiny bit too sweet, but I didn't notice that until the second time I ate it. That's just my opinion. Michelle and I both thought it was delicious, and we'd make it again! Ohh man I love pecans. And butter. And sugar. And cinnamon.

 

 

 

 

 

 Cinnamon Roll Cake (recipe found here):

Cake:

• 3 cups flour
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 1 cup sugar
• 4 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 ½ cups milk
• 2 eggs
• 2 teaspoons vanilla
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) real butter, melted

Topping:

• 1 cup (2 sticks) real butter, softened
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons flour
• 1 tablespoon cinnamon
• 3/4 cup chopped pecans (optiona) - Always measure the nuts first then chop them...did not know this. We used already-chopped pecans intended to top a salad because we couldn't find pecans at the store.

Glaze:

• 2 cups powdered sugar
• 5 tablespoons milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees
2. Mix together flour, salt, sugar, baking powder, milk, eggs & vanilla
3. Stir in the 1/2 cup melted butter
4. Pour batter into a greased 9 x 13 inch baking pan
5. For the topping, mix 2 sticks of softened butter, brown sugar, flour, cinnamon & pecans until well combined. Drop evenly over cake batter by spoonfuls & use a knife to marble/swirl through the cake (the fun part!)
6. Bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 min or until toothpick comes out clean from center
7. For the glaze, mix powdered sugar, milk & vanilla in a large bowl. Whisk until smooth & pour over warm cake. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Fresh Strawberries 'n' Cream Granita

Summer 2011 granita #2! More to come. I'm obsessed. Yes...that is a sake cup above. The granita was made with fresh strawberries, whole milk, and sugar. That's it! So good! How much of each? That's up to you. I didn't measure. I just kept mixing in sugar until I thought it tasted good (you have to be careful when you use fresh strawberry chunks because they can be kinda sour when contrasted with sweetened milk.

I made this granita for Blake and Scott because Blake likes to eat strawberries, milk, and sugar together. Figured freezing the same ingredients would also be good to him. We shall see tonight!

I recently made a coffee granita here. Last summer I made a few fruit-based granitas for my grandparents, and they enjoyed them. What's awesome about any granita is that you can let it melt a little before you serve it, and it'll be both smooth and liquid-y and icy and crunchy! Like shaved ice turning into a milkshake (if you use milk as an ingredient).

The messier, not-so-great pictures of the granita-making process:

Coffee Granita

Granitas are SO awesome...and so simple and easy to make at home.

How do you make them? Mix together the ingredients you want to include, freeze 'em, and then scratch it all with a fork. Sounds weird, but you end up with basically shaved ice, and you don't need any fancy or expensive machines!

Recipe: Mix together strong coffee, whole milk, sugar, and vanilla extract (optional). Freeze in a bowl. Scrape with a fork. Wayy easy. The proportions are up to you.

Twice Baked Potatoes

The Pioneer Woman is one of my favorite food bloggers. Her photography is great too, and I just bought her cookbook (

These potatoes are sooo rich and delicious, but I could not stop thinking about how much butter and fat in general is in them, so next time I'll use less butter and sour cream with lower fat.  See recipe below (original here). I made these for Blake 'cause he and I love potatoes. He also loves bacon and cheese and the rest of the ingredients.

Twice Baked Potatoes (original recipe here):

8 potatoes
2 cubes butter
1 cup sour cream
1 cup bacon bits
1/4 tsp Lawry’s Seasoned Salt
1 cup cheddar/jack cheese
Black Pepper (to taste)
milk (if necessary)
2/3 of a green onion (optional)

(1) Wash & then place 8 baking potatoes on a cookie sheet
(2) Bake potatoes at 400 degrees for 1 hour & 15 minutes until cooked (I checked mine at around 1 hour, and they were almost too cooked, so I keep an eye on yours
(3) Slice two sticks of butter into chunks and put them into a large mixing bowl
(4) Add 1 cup of bacon bits (already made or freshly cooked and chopped) to the bowl
(5) Add 1 cup of sour cream
(6) When potatoes are baked, cut them in half lengthwise with a sharp serrated knife and scrape out their insides (hold the potatoes with a dish towel so you don't burn yourself!)
(7) Add the insides to the bowl with the butter, bacon, & sour cream (leave just a little of the insides on the skin)
(8) Put empty skins on a cookie sheet
(9) Smash the potato/butter/bacon/our cream mixture
(10) Add about 1/4 teaspoon of Lawry's Seasoned Salt
(11) Mix in 1 cup of cheese
*Optional: Add 2/3 of a green onion and/or black pepper
(12) Fill the skin shells with the potato mixture
(13) Top each filled shell with more cheese
(14) Put the potatoes in an oven at 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes (or you could refrigerate them for up to three days or freeze them in airtight bags, but if you freeze them, leave out the green onion)