lead you in to temptation

This past weekend, I needed a dessert for our church picnic. I know life would be amazingly less complicated if I would just give myself over to the pre-made baked goods at the local Kroger affiliate. You know...cupcakes piled mile high with frosting so sugary it feels gritty between your teeth? Yeah. No. I'll stick with more complication, less grit.

I found this recipe in a Twitter stream from one of the many talented foodies/bakers I follow. The name alone captivated me since Snickerdoodles are one of my all-time favorite cookies (lots of lovely childhood memories of my mom's homemade Snickerdoodles). If a cookie is good, shouldn't a Snickerdoodle cake be even better?

Why, yes. Yes, it is. So much so, I had to share it - and point you in the direction of a couple of talented bakers at the same time. The temptation will be overwhelming!

Snickerdoodle Bundt Cake
Recipe Courtesy: Dozen Flours and My Baking Addiction

Ingredients:
2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 c white sugar (granulated)

Combine these ingredients in a small bowl, mix well and set aside.

2 1/2 c all purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1 c unsalted butter, at room temp
1 c white sugar
1 c light brown sugar
3 eggs, room temp
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 c sour cream, at room temp

Procedure:

Pre-heat oven to 325. Generously spray a 9" bundt pan with non-stick cooking spray. Be particular about coating all the indentations in the pan, as well as the center tube. Dust the entire inside of the bundt pan with the sugar/cinnamon mixture. You'll probably only need about 1/4 cup of sugar, but you'll want to make sure the pan is evenly coated - including the center tube. Save the remaining mixture and set everything aside.

Sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Set aside.

Beat just the butter for 1 minute on medium speed. Add the white sugar and mix for about another 3 minutes or until light and fluffy. Scrape down the bowl and the blade and add the brown sugar. Mix for about 2 minutes or until the batter looks light brown and uniform in color.

Add the eggs one at a time, beating each for 1 minute. Stir in the vanilla. Add the flour mixture alternately with the sour cream, beating well.

Spread half the batter into the prepared pan. Sprinkle with 1/4 to 1/3 cup of the sugar/cinnamon mixture. Add remaining batter to the pan and sprinkle evenly with the remaining sugar/cinnamon mixture.

Bake for 55 to 60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the cake comes out clean. Allow to cool for 10 minutes before inverting cake on to a wire rack to cool completely. Everything about this cake is phenomenally spectacular. But my favorite part? My favorite part was this:

The baked sugar/cinnamon mixture formed this beautiful, crisp shell around the cake which was slightly thicker at the bottom edge. It perfectly framed the moist, dewy inside, and left a delicious little something for dunking at the end. After you've finished salivating on your keyboard, click over to Tasty Tuesday to see what else is cooking.

Bon Appetit from The Valley of the Sun.