Christmas Morning Breakfast

I do refrigerator cinnamon rolls. I make them up the night before and they do most of their rise in the refrigerator overnight. I pull them out of the fridge while the oven is heating, and then bake them while we open presents. Once presents are opened, the rolls are warm and ready. Yummy!

My mom always made a stollen, and we toasted it for breakfast. I’ve also made pannetonne, but my kids aren’t impressed by dried fruit in their bread, so the cinnamon rolls are the winner for us.

that is the exact reason i make bubble bread! all the prep work is done the night before – pop it in the oven and viola. my family loves Christmas morning breakfast … i dont make it except for Christmas morning, so it’s a real treat!!!! xoxo! have a VERY MERRY CHRISTMAS HALLEE!

My darling hubby is in charge of Christmas breakfast since I do the major cooking for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. The tradition is Christmas waffles (nothing out of the ordinary, just waffles made on Christmas, maybe with powdered sugar) and a breakfast meat. This year will be breakfast steaks, which I’ve never heard of but apparently “it’s a Southern thing.” After cooking breakfast, he cleans the kitchen just in time for me to destroy it all over again. :)

Sure thing :)

Cake batter:

1/2 c. unsalted butter, softened (you can substitute shortening for 1/2)
1 c. sugar
3 eggs
2 tsp. almond extract
3 c. flour
1 tsp. baking soda
3 tsp. baking powder
pinch of salt
1/2 c. milk
16 oz. sour cream (I usually just use organic yogurt – plain or vanilla)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees & grease and flour a bundt pan.
In small bowl, mix together dry ingredients.
Cream butter & sugar. Add eggs and extract.
Add in dry ingredients and mix well scraping down sides & bottom of bowl.
Add in milk and sour cream and beat until fluffy scraping down sides & bottom at least once during mixing.

Coffee cake swirl:

2/3 c. sugar
1-2 tsp. cinnamon
1 c. pecans, finely chopped (I’ve also used sliced almonds with good results)
1 med. apple cored & diced (optional – we never had this growing up, but I’ve started to add one)

Mix all ingredients together in a small bowl.

Pour 1/2 of batter into prepared bundt pan. Add in most of the cinnamon mixture reserving a handful for the top. Pour remaining batter on top followed by remainder of cinnamon mixture. Take a butter knife and move it up and down and in swirls through the batter to mix the filling being careful not to over mix. (If using apple, make sure all of the apples get into the middle of the cake batter.)

Bake at 350 for about an hour or until cake is dark golden brown on the top and a toothpick comes out clean. Cool for about 30 minutes and then turn cake out of pan onto wire rack to cool completely.

Slice & enjoy!

*I have to say that I bake this cake in an old aluminum bundt pan that came from my Dad’s house. (I “borrowed” it when I moved out!) It even has some of the avocado green paint left on the outside to remind me of our 1970’s kitchen. I’m not sure that’s what makes this coffee cake a favorite around here, but it sure brings back some awesome Christmas memories from my past.*