Wednesday, November 24, 2010

Tomorrow is Thanksgiving. I honestly don't know where my year went. With my mother still recovering from her double-knee surgery, I find myself taking a much more hands-on approach to this year's celebration- i.e. I'm doing all the baking/cooking. You can definitely say that I've risen to the challenge. As I told my mom, Thanksgiving is like a decathalon for chefs and you better believe I've been studying Food Network as religiously as a Freshman student cramming for first semester exams. I've been stocking up on enough pricey cheeses, fresh herbs and obscure spices to make my parents cry from looking at all the grocery bills. I AM READY.

One of the easiest recipes in my arsenal, has to be my nana's coffeecake. The recipe dates back to 50s, a time when they loved their bundt pans and cake mixes almost as much as their first-born child. The fluffy vanilla cake pairs beautifully with the crunchy cinnamon pecan filling and sweet frosting topping. Serve it with a cup of coffee and it'll start your day off right!

French Vanilla Coffeecake

1 pkg French vanilla cake mix
1 pkg French vanilla instant pudding
1/2 cup Vegetable oil
1 cup Water
1 tsp Butter flavoring
4 room temperature Eggs

Topping-
3/4 cup chopped Pecans
2 tsp Cinnamon
1/4 cup Sugar

Frosting-
1 cup Powdered sugar
1/2 tsp Vanilla
2 Tbsp Milk
2 Tbsp melted Butter

In a large bowl, mix together all the ingredients except for the eggs. Add in each egg individually, beating after each. Beat batter for 8 minutes- make sure to time yourself!

Sprinkle half of the cinnamon topping into the bottom of a well-greased bundt pan. Pour in half of the batter. Throw in the rest of the cinnamon topping and then cover with the remaining batter.

Bake at 350 degrees for 40-45 minutes.

Remove from pan after 10 minutes. Let cool and then drizzle top with the frosting.

1 comment: