Cinnabon Cake

Whenever I walk into the shopping centre, I always seem to enter the door that is right next to the Cinnabon. That delicious smell is ALWAYS wafting around that area, just trying to entice me in and cave to buy one. I don't think I have ever actually eaten anything from Cinnabon because as soon as the thought even crosses my mind, my conscious starts screaming at me "SO UNHEALTHY!! DON'T DO IT!!" and I usually leave the area quickly and immediately. So imagine my surprise/delight when I discovered this glorious recipe!

Cake without icing. It might have some little holes in it like mine, this is just where the brown sugar/cinnamon mixture has melted a little bit.

I'm not gonna lie, this cake is probably not much better than a Cinnabon. But at least it is homemade, and for some reason, I always feel like homemade things are healthier (even when they are not). The batter of this cake reminds me of a banana bread batter, it is pretty thick for a cake batter. Then it is marbled with a brown sugar/cinnamon/butter concoction (remember how I love to marble things? Ya.. I was pumped about this cake). I will admit that the two different mixtures were a little bit difficult to marble but it just takes a little bit of patience.

Top off this cake with one of the most amazing icing recipes I have ever made: MAPLE CREAM CHEESE ICING! Yes. You did read that correctly. If you are a true Canadian, you love your maple syrup. I know I do, and this icing was no exception to that love. It makes a lot of icing, but just throw it all on there. The more the merrier, right?

No, that's not a raisin. It's just some brown sugar-cinnamon goodness!

So if you have a hankering for a Cinnabon, or you're just feeling really ambitious and want a recipe to impress, I suggest this bad boy. You won't be sorry!

Cinnabon Cake

Bake Time: 25-30mins    Yields 8-10 servings

Ingredients:

THE CAKE:

1 1/2 cups flour

1/8 tsp salt

1/2 cup brown sugar

2 tsp baking powder

3/4 cup whole milk

1 egg, lightly beaten

1 tsp vanilla extract

1/4 cup butter, melted

THE TOPPING: 

1/2 cup butter, softened

1/2 cup brown sugar

1 Tbsp flour

1 1/2 tsp cinnamon

6 Tbsps chopped pecans, OPTIONAL (I chose not to include them)

THE MAPLE CREAM CHEESE ICING:

4 oz cream cheese, softened

3-4 Tbsp pure maple syrup

1/4 tsp vanilla extract

1-2 Tbsp whole milk

Directions:

1) Preheat the oven to 350 F. Grease a 9-inch round cake pan.

2) Whisk together your dry ingredients (flour, salt, brown sugar, baking powder). In a separate bowl, combine the milk, egg, and vanilla. Pour the milk mixture into your dry ingredients and mix until completely combined. Add the melted butter and mix. Pour the cake batter into your prepared pan.

3) In a new bowl, combine the topping ingredients and stir until smooth. Drop spoonfuls of the topping into the cake batter and, using a knife of metal spatula, drag the edge through the cake batter to swirl and marble the two mixtures. 

4) Bake the cake for 25-30mins. A toothpick inserted into the middle should come out nearly clean.

5) Beat the cream cheese until smooth. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and add maple syrup and vanilla. Add only enough milk to make the icing the proper consistency for drizzling. Drizzle your icing on top of the cake and serve warm.

(Recipe adapted from Cooking For Seven)