Cinnabon Cake

There's something very satisfying about working with yeast breads and watching lumps of dough turn into something that's not only pleasing to look at but also yummy. Of all types of cooking, baking up yeast breads often serves as a kind of relaxation therapy for those times when I'm stressed or anxious over some aspect of daily life.

Most yeast recipes do, however,  require time to bake up and sometimes you just don't have the minutes to spare. Everyone knows Cinnabon rolls taste like a little piece of gooey heaven on earth but it's a bit of a commitment to make them at home.  Totally worth it...but only if you have the time and inclination. With it being my week to bring treats for Bible Study, I decided to go with this quicker compromise of a cake that tastes like Cinnabon rolls. The results? Good enough that I cheated on my diet and scarfed up a piece, convincing myself that it was my Christian duty to try out my cake before making others eat it. Yep, that's me - Saint Barbara (or would that be Santa Barbara???)

One completely random note about making these rolls. Brian knew I've thought about buying a Kitchen-Aide mixer for the condo but hesitated because of the price. Not to mention the fact that it felt like too much of a good thing to own two Kitchen-Aides. I've got my beloved Big Blue here in Parkville but the cheap hand-held mixer I bought not long after getting married has been enough for the condo. But who knew Brian was still thinking about my love for Kitchen Aide Number One, until he sent me a link for one of those super deals on Amazon. After a lot of debating back and forth, I ended up buying a sister for Big Blue and this time I was able to pick a color that coordinates better with my kitchen here in Parkville. The new one sits on my counter while Kitchen Aide Number One sits in one of my closets, waiting to be relocated to the condo. I'm still getting used to the difference in how this new mixer works, specifically that the head doesn't tilt back. So far, it feels awkward to attach beaters and add ingredients without being able to flip that bulky head out of the way. In the middle of making my Cinnabon cake, I almost hauled Big Blue out of the closet but decided to keep going with the new mixer. Cause I'm just that kind of versatile cook.

Back to this recipe.  My cake went straight from oven to church. Once the Bible Study gals had enthusiastically taken their portions, those few pieces that were left came home and got wrapped up for the freezer. Now when Martin gets home from his latest consulting trip, he can have a form of his beloved Cinnabon rolls as a surprise treat - assuming I can keep up the resolve to not snatch those leftovers out of the freezer and eat them in their rock hard state.

Cinnabon Cake
from Hugs and Cookies xoxo.com

Ingredients:
3 cups flour
1/4 tsp. salt
1 cup sugar
4 tsp. baking powder
1 1/2 cups milk
2 eggs
2 tsp. vanilla
1/2 cup butter, melted
TOPPING
1 cup butter, melted
1 cup brown sugar
2 Tbsp. flour (or cup4cup if gluten free)
1 Tbsp. cinnamon
 FROSTING
3 oz cream cheese
1/4 cup softened butter
1 1/2 cup powdered sugar
a few teaspoons milk


Instructions:
 Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 9×13 glass baking pan with cooking spray or coconut oil spray. Set aside.
In a mixer, add the flour, salt, sugar, baking powder, milk, eggs, and vanilla. Once combined well, slowly stir in the melted butter. Pour into pan.
For the topping, mix the butter, brown sugar, flour and cinnamon together until well combined. Drizzle evenly over the batter and use a knife to marble/swirl through the cake.
Bake at 350 for 35-40 minutes or when a toothpick inserted near the center comes out nearly clean.
Frosting:  Beat the first 3 ingredients until creamy.  Add a drop of milk at a time until still thick, yet spreadable.