bread

Yesterday was #bakedaysunday for me (also #imnotbrokesoicanbakeday and #ihavealltheingredientssoicanbakeday haha), so I decided to whip up something nice for me and my loved ones. 🙂

Actually, the original plan was to make chocolate chip cookies dipped in chocolate ganache (YES, chocolate heaven), but I scrapped that one cos I’m too lazy to buy one missing ingredient. So, I had to make do with what I already have in the house and, fortunately, there are just enough ingredients to make a cinnamon loaf.

So, why cinnamon?

Good question… and the good answer is: I LOVE CINNAMON! ❤ There was a time in my life that I didn’t have a thing for cinnamon, but when a friend from Sweden suggested that I try it with my coffee, that’s when everything changed. Now, I put cinnamon in my coffee, in my oatmeal (all the time), and now, in my baked goods!

Okay, I won’t bore you with the declaration of my love for cinnamon. Here’s the recipe, fully credited to Taste of Home. It’s so easy and convenient and I love it!

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Cinnamon Loaf
(Recipe courtesy of Taste of Home)

Ingredients:

1/4 cup butter, softened
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 cup + 2 tbsp sugar, divided
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup buttermilk (I used two Yakult)
2 eggs
1 tsp ground cinnamon

Procedure:

Preheat the oven to 350° F.
Mix the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
Combine the sugar and cinnamon. Also set aside.
Beat butter for about one minute, until light and fluffy. Gradually add the one cup of sugar, then add eggs one by one, making sure to beat well with each addition. After that, add the vanilla extract.
Add the flour mixture and buttermilk alternately to the creamed mixture. Beat until just mixed (don’t overdo it!).
Transfer half of the batter to your loaf pan (preferably a 9×5 pan), which should be coated with cooking spray (I don’t have that, so I just spread some butter all over it). After that, sprinkle 3/4 of the sugar-cinnamon mixture over the batter.
Finish off by putting the other half of the batter and sprinkling the remaining sugar-cinnamon mixture.
Bake for 45-50 minutes or until a cake tester/toothpick inserted comes out clean (in my case, it took me a little more than an hour).
Cool in the pan for 10 minutes. Then, remove the loaf from the pan and transfer it to a cooling rack.

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Verdict: soooo yummy! *thumbs up*

I’m not carrying my own chair or anything. Haha. It tastes so good— not too sweet nor too bland— and I have people to support my claim! Haha!

In fact, there’s nothing left of it anymore… *wink*

I’ll definitely make this again. No excuses because the instructions are so simple and the ingredients are easy to find. Plus, having a very tasty cinnamon loaf around sure is useful— I can definitely eat it for breakfast or dinner. ❤

Happy blogging (and baking!)

(PS: All photos are mine; please do not use without my consent. Thank you!)

Pan de Manila, with over 30 branches nationwide. (Website: http://www.pandemanila.com.ph)

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Ever since my dad bought us our first ever pandesal from Pan de Manila, I’ve always craved for it. It was love at first sight, first sniff, first touch, and first taste. I’ve always been amazed by how large and chewy every pandesal is, and although my first encounter with this awesome bread was so long ago, I can still remember the satisfaction I got when I took my first bite.

And recently (uhm, late 2012?), I discovered something as amazing as the bread itself: their Spanish style chocolate mix, the Chocolate con Leche.

Ever since I had my first authentic hot cocoa drink in 2011, I’ve always adored hot chocolate drinks, especially the bitter ones. When I tasted my first Tsoko.Nut Batirol drink, it strengthened my desire for cocoa. And now that I’ve discovered this, my pandesal moments will surely be more awesome!

As you can see, it has another variant: the Chocolate Blanco or the Spanish style white chocolate mix. I’ve tried it, and it’s just as good as the Chocolate con Leche. 🙂 *thumbs up*

But the star of the show (or post) here is the pure chocolate drink. 🙂 I’m just a sucker for smoking hot chocolate drinks. I’ve loved Milo as a kid (until now, actually), and my favorites as of the present time are Starbucks’ Signature Hot Chocolate (with lots and lots of chocolate sprinkles on top), Beanhoppers Coffee’s Hot Chocolate with marshmallows (looooove!), Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf’s Hot Double Chocolate, of course Tsoko.Nut Batirol’s Tsokolate Ah, and Swiss Miss Milk Chocolate & Dark Chocolate mixes. My quest for my next favorite hot choco drink is not over, though. 😉

Guys, try Pan de Manila’s Chocolate on Leche now and I guarantee you, you will be transported to the awesome era of 1800s to 1900s! 🙂 Its rich aroma and authentic flavor are enough reasons for you to fall in love with it, too.

And oh, for those who are always on-the-go, they have it in cups! Just add hot water and voila! You now have yourself a really classic chocolate-y drink while in your car or everywhere!

If you want to take a break from your usual coffee beverage, give Chocolate con Leche a sip and let’s see if you don’t buy another one afterwards. 😉

P.S.: Pan de Manila also has a 3-in-1 coffee mix! Check out one of their branches to discover more of their offerings!)

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This blog entry can also be seen on meekalexyproject.wordpress.com. Follow us there! 🙂