A Breakfast Bundt on Michigan Street

My brother was recently married on April 17 in Houston, Texas. Congratulations James and Jen! I flew to Houston a couple of days before the wedding and my brother asked me to bring a bundt cake that would be suitable for breakfast. I checked TSA's website and discovered it would be completely reasonable to fly a bundt cake from Las Vegas to Houston.  The bundt cake traveled well to Houston and a clever TSA officer joked that he would have to subject the bundt cake to an E-A-T test. It was a nice cinnamon and pecan bundt cake that was enjoyed at the happy couple's home on Michigan Street.  Here is the recipe, enjoy!



Recipe: Kathy's Cinnamon Breakfast Cake



Recipe From: The Cake Mix Doctor



FILLING AND CAKE
1/3 cup packed light brown sugar
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 cup chopped pecans or walnuts (I used pecans)
1 package (18.25 ounces) plain yellow cake mix
1 package (3.4 ounces) vanilla instant pudding mix
3/4 cup vegetable oil
2/4 cup water
4 large eggs
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

GLAZE
1 cup confectioners' sugar, sifted
2 tablespoons milk
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract



Place a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 350 degree F. Spray a 12-cup Bundt pan with Baker's Joy.

For the filling, place the brown sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl and stir until well combined. Set the bowl aside.

Sprinkle the pecans in the bottom of the prepared pan. Set the pan aside. By adding the pecans first, they have a chance to toast against the hot edges of the pan and become more flavorful as the cake bakes.

Place the cake mix, pudding mix, oil, water, eggs, and vanilla in a large mixing bowl. Blend with an electric mixer on low speed for 1 minute. Stop the machine and scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula. Increase the mixer speed to medium and beat 2 minutes more, scraping the side down again if needed. The batter should look thick and smooth.

Pour one third of the batter into the prepared pan. Scatter half of the filling evenly over the batter. Pour another third of the batter evenly over the filling. Scatter the remaining filling over the batter. Pour the remaining batter evenly over the top, smoothing it out with the rubber spatula. Place the pan in the oven.

Bake the cake until it is golden brown and springs back when lightly pressed with your finger, 58 to 60 minutes. Remove the pan from the oven and place it on a wire rack to cool for 10 minutes.

 Invert the cake onto the rack and allow it to cool completely.

Prepare the glaze. Place the confectioners' sugar, milk, and vanilla in a small bowl and stir until smooth. Place the cooled cake on a serving platter and spoon the glaze over the top so that it drizzles down the sides and into the center of the cake. Slice and serve.

   

Red Velvet Wickedness!

"Well," said the Head, "I will give you my answer. You have no right to expect me to send you back to Kansas unless you do something for me in return. In this country everyone must pay for everything he gets. If you wish me to use my magic power to send you home again you must do something for me first. Help me and I will help you." "What must I do?" asked the girl. "Kill the wicked Witch of the West," answered Oz. - L. Frank Baum, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz.

This week's Bundt is truly wicked in nature and is hard for most people to refuse. It comes from the good witch, Paula Deen, and is wonderfully sweet and of course wickedly good! It's everything one would expect from a Red Velvet Cake.

Recipe: Red Velvet Pound Cake

Recipe From: Paula Deen's Kitchen Classics Page 385

CAKE

1 cup (2 sticks) butter, at room temperature
1/2 cup vegetable shortening
3 cups granulated sugar
7 eggs
One 1-ounce bottle red food coloring
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
3 cups cake flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup milk

FROSTING

Two 3-ounce packages cream cheese, at room temperature
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, at room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
One 1-pound package confectioners' sugar, sifted
1-2 tablespoons milk, if needed





Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Spray a 10-inch tube pan with Baker's Joy. For the cake, in a mixing bowl, combine the butter, shortening, and sugar, and cream until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Stir in the food coloring and vanilla.

Stir together the flour and salt; add this to the creamed mixture alternating with the milk, beating well. Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Don't fill your pan as full as I did or else you will be cleaning your oven! Fill it about 3/4 full.

Bake 1 hour and 20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool the cake in the pan for 10 minutes, then turn it out onto a rack to cool completely.

While the cake cools, make the frosting: Combine the cream cheese and butter and blend until smooth. Stir in the vanilla, mixing well. Gradually add the sugar, beating until cream. If necessary, add a little milk to achieve the desired consistency. I transfered the frosting into a large Zip-Lock bag, cut a small hole in the corner of the bag and frosted the cake. This is a really delicious frosting!