Cinnamon-Topped Breakfast Cake

 Happy 2013!! I hope you all had a great night celebrating the new year - I know I had tons of fun drinking sparkling apple cider at midnight with visitors from out of town. This morning, I woke up a little earlier than everyone else, and wanted to make something quick to have as a treat for breakfast. This cake was perfect - it came together in about 5 minutes, was easily made gluten-free so that my mom could eat it, and was enjoyed by all of us.

This is a really simple cake - the bottom is slightly sweet and buttery (despite having very little fat in it), and the topping pulls adds a layer of great flavor with cinnamon and some chopped nuts (use your favorite kind). The recipe actually comes from a cookbook for little kids that I got about 10 years ago, but all that means is that it's super simple to make, and has a taste that will be loved by all ages! It was the perfect, sweet start to the year.
  Enjoy!

Cinnamon-Topped Breakfast Cake

(slightly adapted from The Everything Kids' Cookbook)

for the cake batter:

2 cups flour (see note)

1/2 cup sugar

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon butter, melted

1 egg, slightly beaten

1 1/2 cups milk

for the cinnamon topping:

1/4 cup brown sugar

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 cup nuts of your choice, roughly chopped (I used walnuts)

1 teaspoon butter, melted

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Grease an 8" square cake pan.
Whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a medium bowl.
Whisk in the tablespoon of butter, egg and milk, mixing just until combined. Be careful not to over-mix. Pour into the prepared pan.
In a small bowl, mix together the brown sugar, cinnamon, nuts and teaspoon of butter. Sprinkle evenly over the cake batter.
Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until a skewer inserted in the center comes out clean. Let cool slightly. Enjoy, preferably warm!

Note: This can be made gluten-free by substituting the flour with an equal amount of gluten-free all-purpose flour and adding two teaspoons of xanthan gum.