Let The Baking Begin!

As a child I remember my mother spending hours making homemade candies to give to friends as Christmas gifts.  The local International Harvester dealer always had Christmas albums for sale during the holidays.  For some reason I think they were only a dollar or two each.  Anyway, Mom would buy Christmas albums and use them as a tray.  She would bake a loaf of sweet bread in a one pound coffee can, remove the bread from the can and place it in the middle of the album.  Then she would surround it with homemade fudge, bourbon balls, divinity, candy strawberries, and other confections.  Finally she would wrap the entire thing in cellophane.

After I got married I would make candies and assemble trays for Christmas gifts as well, but about 5 or so years ago I abandoned the candy making for a tradition of my own, Cinnamon Swirl Cakes.  The best I can calculate I have been making this cake since I was about 15 years old.  My family discovered this recipe when our church published a cookbook.  One time when we were kids my sister ate so much Cinnamon Swirl Cake she made herself sick!

Cinnamon Swirl Cakes are made in a Bundt pan and if you only have one pan and several cakes to make this can take several days.  In 2009 I decided that small families probably didn't need a whole cake so I got busy looking for half size bundt pans.  I had seen some ceramic ones at a craft show the year before and regretted not getting them.  Luckily I was able to find some pans online and was able to get them in time for my Christmas baking.  This allowed me to bake twice as many cakes in about half the time.

I am flattered to say that my daughter and daughter-in-law both make Cinnamon Swirl Cakes to give as Christmas gifts as well.  So, this year they got half sized bundt pans for Christmas!







Here is the recipe, I hope your family loves it as much as ours does.

CINNAMON SWIRL CAKE


1 Box Yellow Cake Mix
1 Box Small Instant Vanilla Pudding (3 3/4 oz.)
4 Eggs
3/4 Cup Vegetable Oil
3/4 Cup  Water
1 tsp. Vanilla Extract
1 tsp. Butter Flavoring

Mix cake ingredients and beat with mixer for 8 minutes (8 minutes! I never do this).  Pour 1/3 of batter into a greased and floured Bundt pan, (for sanity's sake I use Baker's Joy).  Sprinkle 1/2 of Cinnamon Mixture over batter, layer with another third of batter then with second half of Cinnamon Mixture. Top off with the last third of cake batter. Bake at 350 until toothpick comes out clean.  Ice while hot.

CINNAMON MIXTURE


1/4 Cup Sugar
2 tsp. Cinnamon

Make sure you don't over cook your cakes or they will be dry.

I like to poke my cakes with a fork before I pour on the icing.  I have no idea if this makes the cake any moister but I tell myself it works.

                                                            

 ICING
1 Cup Powdered Sugar
1/2 tsp. Vanilla Extract
1/2 tsp. Butter Flavoring
1/4 Cup Hot Water

I like to use my wire whisk beaters to mix the icing.  It does away with any powdered sugar lumps you might have.

                   

                                                                 

 Ready for delivery!