Cinnamon Rolls!

Yesterday was Wil's first Berlin art opening at Staatsgalerie.
For this very special occasion and also because I have been promising it to quite a bunch of people i decided to make some cinnamon rolls.
From what I heard people liked them even though they were cold by the time the opening started.
I like this recipe a lot because it is just plain and straight forward without any weird ingredients or extras.

Here is what you need:

For the dough -

20g fresh yeast

1 tsp salt

250 ml warm milk

85g melted butter

125g sugar

2 eggs

500g bread flour (best for yeast!)

For the cinnamon filling - 

125g brown sugar

2½ tbsp cinnamon

85g soft butter

For the icing - 

125g soft butter

375g confectioner's sugar

35g cream cheese

½tsp vanilla extract

a dash of salt

First in a big bowl mix yeast with warm milk, sugar, melted butter and salt until smooth.

Add the eggs then the flour and knead the dough on lowest speed for at least 3 minutes.

Increase the speed and knead for another 5 minutes.

Cover the bowl with a damp towel and placed at a warm spot let the dough rise for approx. an hour.

Don't worry if it takes longer. It will rise eventually...

In the meantime you can prepare the cinnamon-sugar mix for the filling such as the icing.

For the filling mix brown sugar and cinnamon in a bowl. 

Set aside.

For the icing whisk soft butter and cream cheese with confectioner's sugar, vanilla extract and a dash of salt until everything is thick and creamy. I honestly find 35g of cream cheese is not enough. You can add more of that and less sugar if you like. You can be quite flexible with the icing...
Refigerate.

Preheat the oven to 200°C.

Place the dough on a floured worktop and knead it with your hands.

Roll it out on the floured worktop to a size of approx. 50-55cm length, 40cm wide and 0.5cm thick.

Equally first spread the 85g of soft butter then sprinkle the cinnamon-sugar mix over it.

Start at the longer end (55cm) and roll dough up.
Cut the roll into equally-sized 4.5cm wide pieces. 

If these seem too big for you, just cut them smaller.

Place the small rolls with the swirls facing the top on a baking paper covered baking sheet or in a greased baking pan.

Bake for 15-20 minutes or until golden brown.

They should be soft and chunky.

Therefore better check after ten to make sure they don't turn too dark and crsipy.

While still warm spread the cream cheese icing over the buns so that each is covered with it.

Enjoy best while warm!

PS:

These buns are indeed sweet.

Therefore I use less sugar for the yeast dough, about 100g instead of the recommended 125g. 

They are still really, really sweet after that especially because of the icing...

It was Valentine's Day...

... and I decided to make Wil's favorite cake for this very special occasion:

CHOCOLATE BUTTERMILK LAYER CAKE!

But this time I threw in some chocolate chunks and decorated with hearts of pink sugar icing.
For never having celebrated Valentine's Day before it turned out pretty well, I guess.

Happy New Year!

Montreal Cupcake Madness in Technicolor...

Chocolate Buttermilk Layer Cake

Today I made this fantastic cake. I found the recipe here.

I just changed it a little tiny bit and used a Cream Cheese Icing instead of the chocolate frosting.

Preheat oven to 175°C-180°C

360g all-purpose flour

290g sugar

10g Vanilla sugar

1½ tbsp baking soda

½ tsp salt

120g unsweetened cocoa powder

320ml vegetable oil

360ml buttermilk

3 large eggs

360ml cups freshly brewed, extra-strong hot coffee

1 tsp pure vanilla extract

Mix all the dry ingredients together, than add buttermilk, oil, vanilla extract and eggs using an electric mixer on low.

Slowly add hot coffee by pouring it down the bowl in a thin stream (to prevent the eggs from clotting).

Mix everything until smooth.

Don't be alarmed by the thinness of the batter!

Everything is fine...

Grease two pans (26cm Ø) and line the bottoms with parchment paper.

Divide batter in two and pour it into the two pans  or use one pan and bake both halves one after another.

Bake for about 30-35 minutes, until a toothpick comes out with moist crumbs.

Let it cool down (otherwise the icing will melt and won't be able to stick on the cake).

For the Cream Cheese Icing mix

250 confectioner's sugar

115g soft butter

500g cream cheese

2 tsp vanilla extract

with an electric mixer until smooth.

Place one layer of cake on a serving plate.

Cover the top of the layer with the Cream Cheese Icing (approx. 0,5-1cm thick).

Place the other layer of cake on top of the iced layer pressing gently.

Carefully spoon the rest of the icing on the layer top and smooth it around the sides of both layers, until the whole cake is completely covered with icing and nothing is shining through.

Allow to cool.