100th Recipe! Decadent Cinnamon Roll Cake

So this is 100! NO seriously, I can’t believe I finally reached the 100 mark.  When I started this, I never really thought I would get here.  BUT it has just been so much fun.  I need to send out a serious thank you to all of my friends and co-workers for being my guinea pigs, for allowing me to bake cakes and cookies, pies and tarts, brownies and and and. 

Seriously though, when I started this I wasn’t sure where it would go or if I would even like doing it.  And I kind of LOVE it.  It’s so much fun trying to decide what I want to bake next, what’s in season right now that could be baked into something delicious, moist, rich, flaky, sweet or salty.  Although, sometimes coming up with something fun to write about really is difficult, other times the food speaks for itself.  These totally speak for themselves…

Key Lime Pie Cake…yeah a pie in a cake totes speaks for itself.  

Oh and cookie in a cookies do the same pumpkin maple leaf cookies...

and chocolate chocolate peppermint Joe Joe cookies.

Some recipes though need a little coaxing and a lot of descriptive love.  I think that’s one of the fun parts about doing this…trying to really, truly taste the baked treats, distinguishing the different flavors almost like wine…before ultimately stuffing my face with them. 

Beware though, this 100^th cake is not one to stuff your face with…take it slow, because the utterly buttery richness is hidden there between the layers. Can you see it?  Its dark brown, with this rich brown sugar butter cinnamon taste.   It’s a surprise attack to your taste buds that might just think you’re chowing down on vanilla cake with cream cheese frosting.  This cake is dense, mainly because it should really be refrigerated with the smooth cream cheese frosting.  It has a nice light vanilla flavor and the cinnamon buttery goodness is hanging out in the middle.  The cream cheese frosting ties this all together into a decadent cinnamon roll cake.  Serve this cake for dessert with a nice bold coffee…or for breakfast as it was eaten in my office.  Either way if you love cinnamon rolls and cake as much as I do you should really give it a try.

(A little background on this cake…it was strangely enough dreamt up while playing kickball on the National Mall right by the Washington Monument.  Now you might be thinking hello, why are you dreaming of cakes while playing kickball?  But, what can I say?  I was in the outfield, where the ball only occasionally comes and where I am semi-confident I would catch the ball…so a little cake day dreaming just sort of happened.  FYI there is NOTHING wrong with cake day dreaming….)

The third layer is hiding somewhere on my counter...

This is the cinnamony buttery goodness I am talking about.  I mean you might just want to spread it between two pieces of toast and call it a breakfast sandwich....

Let's flatten this out a bit...we don't want a lopsided cake...

Spread the good stuff on while it is still nice an warm.

This is my cake's side profile...its best angle...it showing off its best features.

Spread on the cream cheese frosting...

Then seal all of the deliciousness in with some fondant...we are getting a bit fancy here people...

And lets make it a little pretty...

And time for that first slice...

Cinnamon Roll Cake:

(recipe from Magnolia Bakery's vanilla cupcakes)

1 1/2 cups (3 sticks) unsalted butter, softened

3 cups sugar

6 large eggs, at room temperature

1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla

2 1/4 cups self rising flour

1 3/4 cups + 1/8 cup all purpose flour

1 1/2 cups milk

Filling:

1 1/2 cups (packed) golden brown sugar

4 tablespoons ground cinnamon

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter

Cream Cheese Frosting:

2 - 8 oz blocks 1/3 fat cream cheese, softened

1 stick unsalted butter, softened

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

6 cups powdered sugar, sifted

1.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and make sure rack is in the center of the oven.  Line three 9 inch cake pans with parchment paper and spray with non-stick cooking spray.

2.  In a large mixing bowl, cream together butter and sugar. 

3.  Whisk in the eggs, one at a time, until well combined.  Whisk in the vanilla extract and set aside.

4.  In a separate mixing bowl, sift together flours.

5.  Starting and ending with the dry ingredients, alternate between adding the dry ingredients and the milk to the wet ingredients, mix just until combined. 

6.  Pour cake batter into prepared cake pans.  Bake for 25-30 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.  Let cake cool in pan for 10-15 minutes.  Then gently remove from pan and let finish cooling on a cooling rack.  

7.  Once cake layers have cooled, place the bottom layer on a cake plate and using a serrated knife, cut off the rounded part of the cake to create a flat top.  Pick out which cake layer will be the middle layer and repeat this process.  Set cakes aside

8.  Prepare cream cheese frosting:  In a large mixing bowl, using an electric mixer, cream together butter and cream cheese until almost fluffy.  Then mix in the vanilla extract and powdered sugar, adding two cups of powdered sugar at a time.  Scrape down the sides of the bowl before each addition.  Beat until powdered sugar is completely incorporated and icing is creamy.  Set aside.

9.  Then in a medium sauce pan on medium heat whisk together all three cinnamon bun filling ingredients until melted and spreadable.

10.  Top the base cake layer with 1/2 of the cinnamon bun filling, coming to within 1/4 inch of the edge of the cake.  Then gently top with approximately 1/2 to 3/4 cup cream cheese icing.  Place middle layer on top and then repeat this process, using up the remainder of the cinnamon bun filling.

11.  Place top layer on cake and then lightly frost the entire cake with a crumb layer.  Then place in the refrigerator for 15 to 20 minutes.  (I used this time to clean the dishes.)

12.  Remove cake from the refrigerator and frost cake with the remaining icing.  Place back into the refrigerator until ready to serve.  Take out of the refrigerator 20-30 minutes before serving to allow to come to room temperature.  Enjoy!