Could've been prettier---Judi’s Chocolate Cinnamon Swirl Cake

Judi’s Chocolate Cinnamon Swirl Cake
Best Recipes from American Country Inns and Bed & Breakfasts Copyright 2004

1 ½ cups plus ½ cup sugar
5 teaspoons unsweetened cocoa powder
2 tablespoons ground cinnamon
2 sticks butter, softened
8 ounces cream cheese, softened
1 ½ teaspoons pure vanilla extract
4 eggs, beaten
2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

In small bowl, mix ½ cup sugar, cocoa and cinnamon. Spray 9x13-inch glass baking dish with nonstick spray. In large bowl, blend butter and cream cheese. When well blended, cream in remaining 1 ½ cups sugar and vanilla. Add eggs and blend well. Mix in flour and baking powder. When well blended, mix in chocolate chips. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Pour half the batter into pan. Sprinkle with cinnamon/sugar mixture. Pour remaining batter into pan and spread evenly over first layer. (This is a huge pain since it's a thick batter but it doesn't have to be exact.) Sprinkle entire top of batter with remaining cinnamon/sugar. Bake 45 minutes or until wooden toothpick comes out clean.

Yield 12 to 14 servings.
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I was looking for something to make with cake mix since my MIL gave me two boxes of it recently. Instead, I came upon this recipe and I happened to have everything to make it. I was hoping to make something to take to work but I didn't feel it was up to snuff.

Don't get me wrong, it wasn't bad. It tasted all right and even my son ate a piece (he prefers frosted cakes). I didn't care for the appearance more than anything else. Perhaps I should have used more of the cinnamon/sugar mixture in the middle and less on top. I felt there was enough in the middle but way too much on top. Cocoa and cinnamon just isn't that attractive - it's looks like dirt.

When I was reviewing this recipe in my mind, I remembered seeing a picture of a similar recipe that was actually frosted. Thanks to my fabulous recall (that's getting less fabulous as I get older), I traced that picture back to Dorie. It wasn't the same recipe but something similar. This is more of a coffee cake so a chocolate-cinnamon frosting might seem a bit out of place but I think it would make this a much more attractive cake, maybe even worthy of taking to work. But then again, maybe it would be way too sweet.

I think it's been quite obvious lately that blogging is just a hobby for me. I wish I could post more unique recipes but I'm afraid my main concerns these days are cutting back on waste and shaving money off my grocery bill.

Blast From the Past: Quiche Lorraine from May 2006. I miss cooking with eggs dishes the most. I don't think my son would have a problem but until I feel he's old enough for a food challenge to test his slight egg allergy, I avoid straight eggs dishes. I could make my son something else but now that he's older, I'd rather not make something he can't have.

Question of the Day: Do you think this cake would be too sweet with frosting?