O.C.D. Spice Cupcakes with Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting

Otherwise known as the Oatmeal Cookie Dough stuffed Spice Cupcake...

Jeesh that's a mouthful...literally!

Caramel Crumb Shortbread Bars

These seriously need to be called the "oh my GAWD these are so freakin' delish bars".  

But I figured that would be too long of a title.

I actually wasn't even interested in these particular bars...I was more interested in sampling them as a base recipe for several other bars that I am going to be making.  

Pineapple Upside Down Cake

Do you ever find that one special recipe that is just so darn good you wanna call your mom up and thank her for teaching you how to use an oven?  And in the same breath reach through the phone and smack her all at the same time because now that you KNOW how to bake the best cake like EVER, your butt continues to grow because you can not work-out hard enough to stop the effects of a slowing metabolism (due to age...not that I'm old) and your lack of self-control to NOT eat half of the cake with a fork straight out of the skillet you cooked it in?

No? 

Well then, you haven't made this cake yet.

This cake is the perfect blend of spicy and sweet...and its totally healthy too. 

It has pineapples in it!  How can that not be healthy? 

Don't ruin it for me...were gonna call it healthy and leave it at that, Em' Kay Pumpkin?

Em' Kay!

This is by far the BEST pineapple upside down cake recipe that I have ever come across. 

My husband asks for it every year for his birthday...and then at least once a month for the next 6 months after his birthday because the half eaten one cake isn't enough for him.

Yup, its just THAT good!

So forget that bikini season is just around the corner, go work-out super hard this week and then bake yourself this cake.

I promise that you won't be dissappointed.

Oh, and mom, don't answer the phone when I call you.  I'm just sayin :)

Skillet Pineapple Upside Down Cake

by Angi McCarthy (adapted from Taste of Home)

Keywords: pineapple cake

6025627

Ingredients

• 1-1/3 cups butter, softened, divided
• 1 cup packed brown sugar
• 1 can (20 ounces) pineapple slices, drained
• 10 to 12 maraschino cherries
• 1/2 cup chopped pecans
• 1-1/2 cups sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1-1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1 cup buttermilk

Instructions

In a saucepan, melt 2/3 cup of butter; stir in brown sugar. Spread in the bottom of an ungreased heavy 12-in skillet or a 13-in. x 9-in. baking pan. Arrange pineapple in a single layer over sugar mixture; place a cherry in the center of each slice.

Sprinkle with pecans and set aside.

In a large bowl, cream sugar and remaining butter until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in vanilla.

In a separate bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg; add alternately to batter with buttermilk, beating well after each addition.

Carefully pour over the pineapple. Bake at 350° for 40 minutes in an iron skillet skillet (50-60 minutes for baking pan) or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Immediately invert onto a serving platter. Serve warm with a huge scoop of vanilla ice cream!

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So what is the ONE recipe that you can not seem to make enough of?  I'd love to try it out!

Recipe Exchange...Strawberry "Crumb Top" Pound Cake

Hey yawl!  I am SUPER excited to be sharing this recipe with you today!  Savannah with Hammock Tracks asked me to join in on a recipe exchange with her.  I was a little nervous at first as I have never been apart of one before...buuuuttttt....I decided that this was a great opportunity to try something new AND connect with a fellow blogger.  Total win - win situation in my opinion! 

The way this works if you (like me) have never been apart of a recipe exchange before is this...we both peruse each others recipe files until we find a dozen things something that we'd like to try making for ourselves.  After slobbering all over my keyboard drooling over several options that Savannah had to choose from, I settled on her Strawberry Pound Cake. 

I will not lie, the major driving force behind this is my oldest son's insatiable craving for strawberries.  This kid can put away a pound of strawberries for breakfast alone...then polish off another pound after soccer practice and STILL want more.  To say he loves strawberries is a bit of an understatement.

And while the rest of us like them...we prefer them in our oatmeal or drowned in powdered sugar and scattered on top of pound cake.  So when I saw Savannah's recipe to put them IN our pound cake...I was SOLD!

I have to admit, I tweaked her recipe just a wee bit but I truly believe it would have been just as delicious had I left it alone. 

The main change that I made was adding a cinnamon crumb topping...just look at all that crumbly goodness on there!

OH my word...This cake was TO. DIE. FOR!

I can not thank Savannah enough for introducing me to this AMAZING recipe! 

Do yourself a favor and go make a loaf of this cake...brew a cup of tea...and sit down in front of your computer and enjoy all that Savannah with Hammock Tracks has to offer!

You'll be glad you did!

Strawberry Pound Cake with Crumb Topping

by Savannah with Hammock Tracks

6022746

Ingredients (1 loaf)

Strawberry Pound Cake

• 2 large eggs
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 1/2 tsp almond extract
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 1 -1/2 cups all purpose flour
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 -1/2 cups strawberries, hulled and thinly sliced

Cinnamon Crumb Topping

• 1/4 cup COLD butter
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 1/4 tsp. cinnamon
• 1/4 cup flour

Instructions

Strawberry Pound Cake

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Spray (1) loaf pan generously with baking spray.

In mixing bowl, beat the eggs until light and fluffy, then beat in the oil until blended.

Beat in the sugars until well blended.

Add almond extract and mix until incorporated.

In a separate bowl, stir together the flour, baking soda and salt.

Beat all but 2 tablespoons of the dry mixture into the egg/oil mixture.

Add the strawberries to the remaining dry mixture and toss to coat the berries well.

Fold this mixture into the batter and pour into prepared pan.

Sprinkle Crumb Topping on top and press into with palm of hand.

Bake in oven for 60 min. or until toothpick inserted in middle comes out clean.

Cinnamon Crumb Topping

Cut in butter to sugars, cinnamon and flour to form crumbs.

Sprinkle crumbs on loaf.

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