Recipe: Julie's Incredible Cinnamon Chip Cake (using butterscotch chips and nuts)

INCREDIBLE CINNAMON CHIP CAKE

"I love this!!!!!!!! This is just about the best cake to come out of my test kitchen. It is rich and buttery tasting (although butter free), super moist, tender, easy, flavorful and a good keeper."

FOR THE CINNAMON CHIP PASTE:
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup pecans or walnuts
1/3 cup butterscotch chips
1 tablespoon oil
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon vanilla

FOR THE CAKE BATTER:
2 cups white granulated sugar
1 cup water (or orange juice)
3/4 cup oil
3 eggs
1 tablespoon vanilla
2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Generously grease a 10-inch springform (this makes a prettier cake) or 9-by-13 inch pan. Line pan bottom with a circle of parchment paper.

TO PREPARE THE CINNAMON CHIP PASTE:
Place all ingredients for the Cinnamon Chip Paste in food processor and grind for a minute or two, until mixture is gravelly in texture. You can also put these ingredients in a plastic bag and pass a rolling pin over the bag to mash up ingredients. Set aside.

TO PREPARE THE CAKE BATTER:
Using a wire whisk (or an electric mixer), blend white sugar, 1 cup water (or orange juice), oil, eggs and vanilla. Set aside.

Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and salt. Fold into wet batter ingredients (it will be a wet, somewhat loose batter).

TO ASSEMBLE AND BAKE:
Spoon all but a couple of tablespoons of the cake batter into pan. Sprinkle topping (Cinnamon Chip Paste) all over cake, taking care not to concentrate any topping in center (this could cause the middle to sink during baking). Cover topping with remaining batter - it will not cover all of topping, but it will bake into an interesting pattern.

Bake for 45 minutes for tube pan, 60 to 70 minutes for springform pan. Top will be just firm to the touch and look slightly crusty with bits of melted topping peaking through. Center may dip down a touch - this is fine.

Let cake cool properly before serving.

Makes 1 cake, 10-12 servings
From: Julie C./S. Africa - 09-04-99