Yankee-Belle Cafe

I almost called these treats Cinnamon Snails, but I thought that might make you skip over this blog. After all, not many of us eat snails, especially seasoned with cinnamon! But by the end of the post, I think you'll agree that "snails" is a good name for this easy treat.

One of the things I do before the Christmas season is to stock up on pricey items I think I'll be using for my Christmas baking. Stores often have sales on things like chocolate chips and canned pumpkin in the fall, so I buy when the prices are low.

Sometimes, though, I misjudge and buy too much. Last fall it was Puff Pastry.


I'm not sure you can have too much Puff Pastry, but this box had been half used for a couple months now, and I knew I needed to do something with it.

I browsed through the recipes on www.puffpastry.com, but I was short on time and energy, so even though many of the recipes were simple and easy, I decided to go even more basic.

I promise - this recipe is so easy, even someone who has been down and out with the crud has enough energy to make it. *true story

Cinnamon Spirals

Now admit it, don't these look like snails?

Last week, I told you about two of the new babies in our church. A couple weeks ago, we had a shower for the baby due this week. Yes, a THIRD baby in one month!

Let's just say we love babies :)

My friend, Janet, hosted the shower, and we had a wonderful time. And, of course, wonderful food!

She had tried a new recipe that was fabulous. I knew I had to share it with you.

Cinnamon Crumb Cake



ingredients:

topping:

2 cups flour
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup sugar
2 Tablespoons cinnamon
1 cup (2 sticks) butter

cake:
1 package white cake mix
1 egg
1 cup sour cream
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter, melted
1 teaspoon vanilla

Now, before we start, let me emphasize the importance of reading the directions carefully. Because when I made this cake, it didn't look anything like Janet's version - although it tasted perfect. I couldn't figure out what I did wrong until I read the ingredients again. I used a whole stick of melted butter in the cake instead of one-half stick.

Words are important. So is careful reading!

Anyway, let's make the topping first.



Mix the flour, sugars and cinnamon together in a medium bowl. Cut in the two sticks of butter until the mixture is crumbly. Set the bowl aside.

Now for the cake:



Beat the cake mix, egg, sour cream, melted butter and vanilla in a large bowl with an electric mixer on medium speed about 1 minute.

Spread the batter evenly in a greased 9"x13" pan (it will be thick - almost like cookie dough instead of cake batter). Sprinkle evenly with the topping.

Bake at 350° for 30 to 35 minutes, or until the cake pulls away from the sides of the pan. Cool and cut into squares to serve.


But do you see the way the cake kind of oozed through the topping as it baked? The original version was perfectly smooth.

And my version was crumbly. One thing that impressed me about Janet's original was that it was so firm and moist - not a stray crumb anywhere. Perfect for a ladies' brunch.

Yes, it's important to read directions carefully.

Sigh.

But in the end, it didn't really matter because it tasted delicious! And my version disappeared in less than 24 hours. :)

It's your turn now - can you tell us about a time when you read the recipe wrong? Was it a win or a fail?

Our son built a shrine of NC State items around the TV every game. It was bigger than this by the time he left for college.

Mix all the ingredients until well coated.

A bowl of yummy goodness. Bonus: it makes  your kitchen smell divine!