Cinnamon & Raisin Scrolls

When I was in America in 2010, one thing I ate changed my life forever! One of the great things about the USA is the ability to make the most shockingly bad for you junk food taste unbelievably amazing! On a day trip down to San Diego from Los Angeles, we stopped for a snack in a mall. It was one of those places with heaps of options for food. I picked out a Cinnabon. I was sold. I couldn't stop thinking about this gooey, sticky, warm, melt-in-your-mouth cinnamon bun. My memories of cinnamon buns are of a somewhat dry scone. A Cinnabon is anything but! I only ate one more in the three weeks we were travelling around the States. The second was during a stopover in Delaware in transit from NYC to Washington DC on the world's dodgiest bus (Only $20 a ticket- we were certain there was some illegal cargo on board....!) We couldn't eat on the bus, so I save my little Cinnabon until we got to our hotel in Georgetown. Even after 4 hours travel, it was still amazing! 

Spiced Apple Cake Slice

Today was a bit of a lazy day. My son was up in the night so I was feeling really tired, I had zero motivation to take him anywhere (bad mothering I know!) and I felt like baking something tasty but easy. 

I always think if you are baking something with a fruit or vegetable in it, that instantly makes it healthy, right?! For example carrot cake, banana bread and this beautiful spiced apple cake! 

A dear friend gave me this recipe years ago, but I'm sure I only made it for the first time this year! I couldn't even really remember what it was meant to look or taste like, but I knew I liked it when she baked it! I really like anything that has cinnamon in it- blueberry muffins, cinnamon scrolls, carrot cake, pumpkin pie (ooh remind me to blog a recipe for that!)