Honey Bun Cake

I loved the name and love how easy and really tasty this cake is!!  Another winner found over at "The Country Cook" a great Blog of really super recipes click HERE to visit.

Honey Bun Cake 

Ingredients

1 Box (18.25 oz box) Yellow cake mix

1 C Sour Cream

4 Eggs, room temp

3/4 C Vegetable Oil

1 C Brown Sugar

2 Teas Cinnamon

2 C Icing Sugar

4 to 6 Tbls Milk

1 Teas Vanilla Extract

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

In a medium bowl, combine cake mix, sour cream, eggs and oil and mix until well-incorporated. 

It is okay if it is lumpy.

In a separate bowl, mix together the brown sugar and cinnamon until well-blended; set aside.

Pour half the batter into a well greased 13x9 pan, spreading the batter out to the sides in a thin layer.  Add all of the brown sugar/cinnamon mixture to the top, covering the entire layer of batter (it looks like a lot, but it will pay off).  Pour the rest of the batter on top, and spread until cake is even.  Take a knife (I used a metal skewer) and make swirl patterns through and around the cake in a figure 8 pattern -

Place cake into the oven and bake for about 40-45 minutes, or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean.

While cake is baking, make the glaze.  In a bowl, mix icing sugar, milk and vanilla until glaze is of desired consistency.  I started off with 2 Tbls of milk and added 2 more and got it to the point I wanted it - but if you want thinner glaze add more of the milk.  When the cake comes out of the oven pour the glaze over the warm cake.  You may have to pick up the cake and tilt it to spread the glaze evenly.  Let cake sit for a few minutes so the glaze can set and serve warm or at room temp.  It is very good warm and slices can be reheated for a few seconds in the microwave.

Chocolate Chip Coffee Cake

This tasty breakfast cake I found on the "The Country Cook" Blog - a really wonderful place with all sorts of great recipes!!  This particular one she adapted from a recipe from Hungryjack.com.  I think what intrigued me about it was the use of pancake mix - I never thought about using pancake mix for anything but pancakes - but this cake proves me wrong and works a treat!!  I made some slight variations and here's my version...

Ingredients
2 1/2 C Pancake Mix (I used Trader Joe's Pancake and Baking mix)
1/3 C Sugar
1/2 C Mini semi-sweet Chocolate Chips
1/2 C Sour Cream
1/2 Teas Vanilla Extract
2 Large Eggs
2 Tbls Vanilla Coffee Creamer

Topping
1/4 C Sugar
1/2 Teas Ground Cinnamon
1/2 Teas Ground Nutmeg
1/4 C Walnuts or Pecans (I used about 3/4 C Pecans) chopped

Glaze
1/2 C Icing Sugar
1Tbls Milk

Directions
Preheat Oven to 375 degrees
Heavily Grease an 8 inch square pan or dish (I also gave it a spray with Pam)
Combine pancake mix, sugar and chips in a medium bowl.  In another bowl mix together sour cream, vanilla, eggs and creamer.  Add the liquid to the dry and mix together until well combined.  Batter will be very thick.  Using an ice-cream scoop, scoop out batter and place in 3 x 3 rows in prepared pan.

Mix together topping ingredients and sprinkle over the batter.

Bake about 25 or so minutes - or until golden brown or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.  When done let cool in pan for a few minutes - then take out and place on serving dish.

Whisk together icing sugar and milk in a small bowl. Drizzle over the warm cake.  Serve warm.  This cake is delicious when warm and right tasty the next morning, but drys out quickly when exposed to air for any length of time.

Holiday Morning Coffe Cake

I found this on a Blog and she had gotten it from Peggy Weavers "Peggy's Baking Corner."  It is a great cake that I am sure one could change up with different spices and nuts.

Ingredients - 

1 Peanut Filling (recipe to follow)

1 C Butter

2 C White Sugar

2 C AP Flour

1 teas Salt (only use if using unsalted butter)

3 Extra Large Eggs (room temp)

2 teas Vanilla Extract

8 ounce Sour Cream

Directions

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.  Heavily butter a Bundt pan.

Prepare Peanut Filling - In a small bowl mix together all ingredients. - set aside

1C dry roasted peanuts

2 teas Ground Cinnamon

1/2 teas Ground Cardamon

3 Tbls Firmly packed Brown Sugar

For the cake - cream butter and sugar together until light and fluffy.  Sift the flour and the salt.  Add the flour alternately with eggs.  Mix batter thoroughly at a slow speed, then add vanilla and sour cream.  NOTE:  batter should have the texture of well stirred sour cream.  if the texture is too thick, add approximately 1 to 2 tablespoons of water to get this texture (I had to add a single tablespoon of water)

Sprinkle 1/3 of the peanut filling into the prepared bundt pan.  Spoon 1/2 the batter over the peanut filling.  Smooth it out a little but with a rubber spatula.  Add the remaining peanut filling, the cover with the rest of the batter, gently smoothing the top with the spatula.

Place your filled bundt pan on a cookie sheet and place in the preheated oven.  Bake for between 65 and 73 minutes.  the cake is done when the side shrink back slightly from the sides of the pan, and when the top springs back when lightly pressed with fingertips.  or, when a cake taster or toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean.  (My cake took about 70 minutes to bake)

Remove the pan from the oven and immediately turn out the cake onto your serving plate.  NOTE: if you let the cake set in the pan, the peanut topping can adhere itself to the pan and you won't be able to remove your cake in one piece.  (Even with heavily buttering my pan and turning it out right out of the oven a tiny place did stick so this is a critical point - turn out the cake when hot!)

It does not call for a glaze but I added a simple icing sugar, butter and cream one.

Makes 12 to 16 servings