This was originally published on August 1st, 2011 on Cooking for Seven.
Some days, you just need a recipe that doesn’t call for fancy ingredients. You don’t have any specialty items on hand, but you still want to bake something utterly scrumptious.
This cake definitely fits the bill. A soft, cinnamon-scented batter is filled with buttery, sugary swirls. Top it off with a drizzle of maple and cream cheese frosting, and you have one delicious treat.
Notes:
The original recipe called for a powdered sugar glaze. I much prefer a less-sweet cream cheese based frosting. So I made up a recipe for drizzly maple-cream cheese frosting.
As per my usual substitutions, I used whole wheat flour in place of most of the AP flour, and maple sugar instead of brown sugar. I also added a bit of cinnamon to the cake batter to enhance the flavor. You can add pecans to the topping, but I didn’t have any on hand, so I left them out. Besides, my husband doesn’t like nuts in baked goods.
Cinnamon Roll Cake with Maple Cream Cheese Frosting
Ingredients:
For the cake:
- 1 cup whole wheat flour
- 1/2 cup AP flour
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup maple sugar, demerara, sucanat, rapadura, or brown sugar
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 3/4 cups whole milk
- 1 large egg, lightly beaten
- 1 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter, melted
For the topping:
- 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, softened
- 1/2 cup maple sugar or sweetener of choice
- 1 tablespoons AP flour
- 1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
- 6 tablespoons chopped pecans, optional
For the maple cream cheese frosting:
- 4 oz. (1/4 lb.) cream cheese, softened
- 3-4 tablespoons pure maple syrup
- 1/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1-2 tablespoons whole milk
Directions:
1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a round cake pan.
2) In a large bowl or in the bowl of a stand mixer, whisk together the whole wheat flour, AP flour, salt, sugar, and baking powder. In a small bowl, combine the milk, egg, and vanilla. Beat into the dry ingredients until well combined. Slowly stir in the melted butter. Pour batter into prepared pan.
3) In a large bowl, mix the softened butter, maple sugar, flour, cinnamon and pecans (if using) until well combined. Drop evenly over cake batter by the tablespoonsful and use a knife to marble/swirl through the cake.
4) Bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes or until toothpick comes out nearly clean from center. You want to make sure it’s done.
5) Beat the cream cheese with a hand mixer until smooth. Slowly add the maple syrup and vanilla. Add a few tablespoons of milk, if necessary, so the frosting can be drizzled. While the cake is still warm, drizzle the frosting on top. Serve warm or at room temperature.
