Pumpkin~Cinnamon Swirl Breakfast Cakes

No where is it written that you can't enjoy pumpkin all year long!  I know that for a fact with our daughter Kelly who loved anything pumpkin...and her son is no different.  So this morning, I "whipped" up a surprise for his breakfast with these little cakes.

I remember when Ari was just barely 2 1/2 years old and his dad and I took him to pick apples and pears; just like they did as a family.  After the fruit was picked, he wanted to head to the pumpkin patch to pick one for Halloween.  The first thing he notice was how prickly the stems were and the second thing, being the outdoor's boy he is, said, "Mimi, these look like soccer balls!"  I had to grab him quick before he put a foot to one of them:-D

We have gray skies and it's a bit cooler, so pumpkin was very appropriate, but even if it were sunny, I still love the smell of it baking.

Pumpkin~Cinnamon Swirl Breakfast Cakes
1 cup canned pumpkin
1 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar
2 large eggs
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/4 cup sour cream
2 tsp. vanilla extract
1 tsp. Pumpkin Pie Spice
2 cups King Arthur all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt

Cinnamon/Sugar Filling
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 T ground cinnamon
1/4 cup chopped pecans

In a large bowl, mix the first eight ingredients and use a hand whisk to combine.  Add the dry ingredients and use a rubber spatula to combine thoroughly--don't over mix.

Scoop about a 1/4 cup of batter into the prepared liners; I use "crumb cake liners," but you could also do these in a muffin pan.

Use an off-set spatula to spread and smooth the batter.  Next, add about 1 tablespoon of the Cinnamon/Sugar mixture.  Then, put another scoop of batter on top and smooth again with the spatula.

Finally, divide the remaining cinnamon/sugar mixture on the top of each one of the cakes.

 Bake Breakfast Cakes 20-23 minutes until they spring back on top when lightly touched.

The spices, combined with the pumpkin, made these little cakes the perfect Breakfast treat.  Don't let the calendar tell you to wait for pumpkin in the fall...you can have it now.  Enjoy!  

I'm sorry to say that I've had to add "word verification" again; the amount of spam I'm getting is beyond ridiculous, rude, and intrusive.  Until I figure how to transfer this blog to WordPress, please bear with me--Thanks for understanding