Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...

Christmas is like hot chocolate; it’s sweet and makes you feel warm and fuzzy inside. What better time to enjoy a delicious coffee cake and creamy hot chocolate than Christmas morning?

Linda: Christmas morning means an early wake-up time. If children are present, it also means a chaotic time sorting out presents, collecting torn wrapping paper and bows, and enjoying the excitement of new toys and gifts.

Lucy: When my children were young, I wanted an easy breakfast that could be made beforehand. I would search out new coffee cake recipes and bake a day or two before the holiday. We would have a special dinner early afternoon so I liked serving a smaller breakfast.

Linda: I recently discovered a cinnamon pound cake recipe. Originally, I purchased one at Costco, but when I returned for another, they were no longer available. I decided to try and duplicate the cake and discovered this pound cake recipe. I made one and it disappeared so quickly I made a second one a few days later.

Lucy: I know we both were intrigued by a recent “Southern Living” recipe called Apple Cider Doughnut Bundt Cake. I love cider doughnuts so had to try this cake. It is delicious and not difficult to make. I assembled all the ingredients first to make mixing easier and more efficient. There’s different steps in this recipe, but it’s an easy cake to make, just follow the recipe. It would be a welcome treat Christmas morning.

Merry Christmas to all our readers! We look forward to a new year of recipes. 

 

Cinnamon Swirl Pound Cake Loaf

Ingredients

Loaf:

1/2 cup salted butter, at room temperature

1 cup white granulated sugar

3 large eggs, at room temperature

2 tsp vanilla extract, or vanilla bean paste

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, spooned and levelled

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp baking powder

1/3 cup full-fat sour cream, at room temperature

Cinnamon Swirl:

3 Tbs brown sugar

1 Tbs cinnamon

1 Tbs milk

Topping:

2 Tbs brown sugar

1/4 tsp cinnamon

 

Instructions

Preheat oven to 325F and grease an 8 x 4-inch or 4 x 10-inch loaf pan. Set aside. In a large bowl with an electric mixer or the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, beat together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition and scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. Beat in the vanilla. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, baking soda and baking powder. Add 1/2 of the dry mixture to the butter mixture, then the sour cream, then the rest of the flour mixture, mixing just until combined. Remove 1 cup of the batter to a medium bowl. Add the cinnamon swirl ingredients to it – the brown sugar, cinnamon and milk and stir to combine. Spoon a thin layer of the plain batter into the bottom of your prepared loaf pan. Using a spoon, drop alternating spoonfuls of the plain and the cinnamon batter into the pan. Top with the remaining plain batter and smooth the top. Using a long skewer or knife, run through the batter in the pan a few times (either lengthwise or from side to side). Just about 3 lengthwise or 4-5 side to side should do it).

Make topping by combining the brown sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl. Sprinkle over the top of the loaf. Bake loaf in the preheated oven for 55-65 minutes, or until a knife inserted in the centre of the loaf comes out clean. (4×10 pan will cook more quickly, 55-60 minutes, while an 8×4 will take a bit longer, closer to 65 or a few minutes more). Allow loaf to cool in the pan about 10 minutes, then run a knife around the outside and remove to a cooling rack to cool.

Apple Cider Doughnut Bundt Cake

Ingredients

1/2 cup packed light brown sugar

1 1/4 cups granulated sugar, divided

1 cup unsalted butter, softened and divided

3 large eggs

2 tsp. vanilla extract

3 cups all-purpose flour

1 1/2 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. kosher salt

1/2 tsp. baking soda

2 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon, divided

1 1/4 tsp. ground ginger

3/4 tsp. grated fresh nutmeg, divided

1 cup apple cider

1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce

 

Directions

Preheat oven to 350°F. Coat a 10 to 12-cup Bundt pan with baking spray, and set aside. Mix brown sugar, 1 cup of the granulated sugar, and 3/4 cup of the butter in the bowl of a stand mixer, fitted with a paddle attachment, on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, 3 to 4 minutes. With mixer on low speed, add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in vanilla until just combined.

Whisk together flour, baking powder, salt, baking soda, 2 teaspoons of the cinnamon, 1 teaspoon of the ginger, and 1/2 teaspoon of the nutmeg in a large bowl until combined. Stir together apple cider and applesauce in a small bowl until just combined. With mixer on low speed, add flour mixture and apple cider mixture alternately to butter mixture, beginning and ending with flour mixture, beating until just combined after each addition and stopping to scrape down sides of bowl as needed. Transfer batter to prepared pan. Bake in preheated oven until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean, 50 to 55 minutes. Let cool in pan on a wire rack 5 minutes. Invert cake onto wire rack, and remove pan.

 

Topping

Microwave remaining 1/4 cup butter in a small heatproof bowl on HIGH until melted, about 

15-20 seconds. Stir together the remaining 1/4 cup granulated sugar, 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon, and 1/4 teaspoon each ginger and nutmeg in a small bowl until combined.

Apply Topping:

Set cake on a wire rack over a large, rimmed baking sheet. (I used a cookie sheet). Brush warm cake with melted butter (top, sides, center). Sprinkle evenly with cinnamon-sugar mixture; repeat with any excess from baking sheet until all cinnamon-sugar mixture is used, pressing gently to adhere to cake. Let cool completely on wire rack, about 2 hours. Store cake in an airtight container in refrigerator or at room temperature up to 3 days.