Cinnamon Swirl Loaf...and a really cool prize (for me)

The Saturday before we left for Oklahoma, I baked, something I try not to do a lot of in the middle of the summer...believe me, it was pretty dang warm in our house...BUT...it was 100% worth it!  I don't think that my swirl of cinnamon turned out as well as it could have, but the end product was scrumptious and that is really all that counts right?  I found this wonderful recipe on One Perfect Bite.  I so love Mary's site.  I love her recipes, I love the stories behind the recipes, I love the fact that she even visits my blog!!  I've said this before and I'll say it again, Mary is like a celebrity around the blogsphere, so I am honored that she takes time to visit my site!  Anyway, back to the loaf.  OMG, it was moist and buttery and cinnamony...it made our house smell so good....so, as I said, worth heating up the house for!  I could eat this loaf for breakfast, lunch, dinner, snack, AND dessert.  Have I mentioned I really, really loved it?

Cinnamon Swirl Loaf
As made in the kitchen of One Perfect Bite
Printable Recipe 
Ingredients:

Cinnamon Swirl
1/3 cup sugar
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
Batter
1-3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1-1/4 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted
3/4 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1 cup sour cream
Assembly
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

Directions:
1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Butter a 9 x 5 x 3-inch loaf pan. Set aside.

2) To make cinnamon swirl: Combine sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl. Set aside.

3) To make batter: Sift flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt into a small bowl. Set aside. Cream butter until light in bowl of an electric mixer on high speed. Gradually add sugar and continue beating until mixture is very light and fluffy. With mixer set to medium speed, add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in vanilla. With mixer set on low speed, alternately beat in dry ingredients and sour cream, beginning and ending with dry ingredients. Beat only until combined.

4) To assemble: Spoon half of batter into prepared pan. Sprinkle with half of cinnamon sugar mixture. Repeat with remaining batter and cinnamon sugar. Drizzle butter over top. To form swirl, cut through batter with a knife several times.

5) To bake: Bake until a skewer inserted in center comes out clean, about 1 hour. Let pan cool on a wire rack for 15 minutes. Loosen sides from pan and carefully invert onto a rack and gently flip to turn right-side up again. Cool completely before serving. Yield: 1 loaf.

Ok.. now the really cool prize: I am so excited, I can't even wait until I receive it to tell you all about it...but... drum roll please..........................!!!!!  I received an email last night from Chris at Nibble Me This letting me know that I had won his August giveaway!  The kick ass part about this all...the giveaway was for a Masterbuilt Electric Smoker!!! I WON I WON I WON!!! (as Chris quoted a line from one of our favorite movies, A Christmas Story: It's a Major Award!!!) OMG, I can't tell you all how excited I am to receive it.  Chris must think I'm such a dork, all I could do was stumble out a few words that didn't quite make a whole lot of sense but eventually spelled out THANK YOU!!!  Now, all I need to do is practice patience and wait for it to get here!!!  Thanks so much to Chris....if you have never been to his site, please stop by...if you think I have some fantastic grilling recipes, you'll be blown away by his!!  (Sorry, gotta do another Homer Simpson impression: WOOHOO!!!!)  By the way, if you want a chance to win your won electric smoker, check out BBQ Grail, Larry started the second phase of this giveaway last night!  Go there now!!!!  HURRY!!!

P.S.  I had every intention of writing up a post about our trip, but I was so excited about my winnings that I lost track of time and didn't get to it yet...Practice patience with me, and you will rewarded!!