Wednesday, August 19, 2009

Cinnamon Buns

So what do you do when you make too much cream cheese frosting? You bake more ridiculous things. And then take forever to blog about it.

I have been reading A Cracking Good Egg ever since I started this blog and I just love it. I also love her personal challenge to cook one recipe out of every one of her cookbooks before she buys a KitchenAid. I have taken a quick look at mine and I am fairly sure I have done that, but some are a bit more explored than others. In any case, when I saw her post for cinnamon buns, I just knew I had to do it and not just to use up that frosting.

These are beautiful and scrumptious and I have already had a request to make more.

Cinnamon Buns only slightly modified from A Cracking Good Egg:

Makes about 16

3 tsp yeast
1 c. warm milk (about 100-110 degrees)
½ c. sugar
½ c. melted butter
1 tsp salt
2 eggs
4 c. plain flour (I ended up doing ½ all-purpose, ½ whole wheat)
1 c. brown sugar
2 ½ tbs cinnamon
1/3 c. butter
Cream cheese frosting

For the dough, mix yeast and 1 tbs sugar into warm milk. Leave in a warm place until frothy. Sift flour, salt, sugar and make a well in the center. Add yeast mix, eggs and melted butter.



Mix to a dough and knead in a bread machine, using a dough hook or by hand until smooth and elastic.

Cover and leave to rise in a warm place until doubled, about an hour to an hour and a half.

Punch and roll out until approx ½ cm thick.



For the filling, beat butter until creamy, add brown sugar and cinnamon and mix until smooth. Spread over the dough.





Roll up lengthwise. Cut into slices. Place on a cookie sheet and cover and leave to rise for an hour.



Bake for 10-15 minutes in 375 degree oven until brown around the edges.



Make the frosting if you don’t have a bunch left over. Spread over the buns while still warm. Try not to eat all of it.

And then eat, give some away, and eat some more. These are sooo good. So good.

Monday, August 03, 2009

Banana Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting

I actually turned my oven on Saturday night, but only because a) the high temp was about 10 degrees lower than it had been Tuesday/Wednesday and b) I had bananas that were practically black and needed to be used. When I saw this post in Bread and Honey, I mentally filed it away in “to make” and Saturday turned out to be the day. Well, Sunday too. Since I already have an amazing banana bread recipe (although the one in the original is very similar), I just went with mine and used their frosting recipe. And it was worth turning my oven on, that’s for sure.

Banana Cupcakes modified from Banana Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting from Bread and Honey:

Makes 12 cupcakes and 8 mini ones

Banana bread batter
6 oz. (or ¾ package) of cream cheese. Mine had nice markings on the package to make dividing it a snap
1 tsp. vanilla
4 oz. (or ½ stick) room temperature butter
2 c. plus 2-3 c. powdered sugar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a cupcake pan with paper liners. Or, in my case, line and reline the same cupcake pan because you only have one regular size cupcake pan. And line a mini one too because mini cupcakes are cute!



Make banana bread batter. Scoop into liners (I usually go about halfway) and bake for about 20 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Mine were perfect at 20.

Meanwhile, or in my case the next day, combine cream cheese, vanilla, and butter and beat until creamy. Gradually add the 2 cups of powdered sugar. Add 2-3 more until desired consistency is reached. Beat well. I added 2 more. This makes a ton, by the way, and I have at least a cup leftover so either make more cupcakes or frost something else or give it to someone so they can go frost something. It’s delicious, so find something to do with it.



When the cupcakes have cooled, frost them however you desire. I went for a straight up frost this time, unlike the dollops on my Irish cupcakes. And they are fantastic! I have been struggling to not eat these for breakfast. We had friends over Sunday and they went over well and my coworker got one as a present this morning and she loved it. I need to give these away fast or I will eat all of them. And maybe the frosting in my fridge too. It’s just so creamy and delicious. So make these when it cools down enough at your place, but be careful. These are dangerous.
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