Cinnamon Roll Cake with Maple Cream Cheese Frosting

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

Adapted from Divine Baking | Printable Page | Makes approximately 8 servings

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.