BAKE | MINI CINNAMON ROLLS

I took my favorite cinnamon roll recipe from Joy the Baker and made them mini! Okay, okay. I know what you're going to say. YOU BURNT THE CINNAMON ROLLS! Well, they may look burnt but they didn't taste burnt. And, to tell you the truth, I didn't take any pictures of this batch with the frosting on because they were gone so fast. So I made another twenty-four mini rolls for my Young Adult Ministry at church. At the end of the night I was left with two, and a snapped a picture of them the morning after.

Recipes adapted from my Joy the Baker Cookbook

Ingredients:
DOUGH

• 1 (1/4 oz) package active dry yeast
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar (+ 1/2 teaspoon for yeast)
• 1/2 cup milk, room temperature (I used 2% because that's all we had)
• 2 TBS packed brown sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 egg + 1 egg yolk
• 2 and 3/4 cups all-purpose flour (+ 3/4 cup for kneading)
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
• 3/4 teaspoon salt (optional)

FILLING

• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
• 1 TBS cinnamon
• 3 TBS maple syrup
• 1/2 cup finely chopped pecans (optional)
• 1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter, melted

To make the dough:

1. In a large stand mixer bowl, combine yeast with 1/2 tsp granulated sugar. Add 1/4 cup warm water (warm to touch, ~115° F) to the yeast mixture. Stir to combine and let sit for 3-5 minutes until frothy and foamy. (If this does not happen, start over with new yeast.)
2. To the  foamy yeast, add 1/4 cup granulated sugar, milk, brown sugar, vanilla, egg and egg yolk. Beat with wire whisk until well combined.
3. Place the bowl onto the mixer with a dough hook. Add the 2 and 3/4 cups flour and salt to the wet ingredients and mix on medium until just combined. Then turn the mixer up to medium-high and knead dough for 4 minutes.
4. Add the softened butter and knead for 6 more minutes. The dough will still be wet and sticky. Turn out the dough onto a floured surface and hand knead 1/2 cup of flour into the dough. The dough will still be slightly sticky. Place the dough into a bowl and cover it with plastic wrap and a kitchen towel. Leave it in a warm place to rise for 2 hours or until doubled in size.
5. Now you can make the filling: combine sugars, and cinnamon. Then stir in maple syrup and set aside. (You can also now make the cream cheese frosting using the recipe below.)
6. When the dough has doubled in size, dump it onto a floured surface and knead until it is no longer sticky adding about 3 TBS of flour. Knead the dough for 5 more minutes then place the kitchen towel over it, and let the dough rest on the counter for 5 minutes.
7. Roll the dough into a 10 x 24 inch rectangle using a rolling pin lined with plastic wrap (or floured). 
8. Brush the dough with the melted butter. Sprinkle all of the filling over the dough, spreading evenly but leaving a 1 inch border on one of the long sides for sealing. Roll the dough from the opposite long side into a tight cylinder so you have a 2 foot long roll
9. Cut roll into 24 slices using a sharp knife. This is most easily done by marking the middle with the knife, then the middles of those halves (to mark fourths), then the middles of those fourths (to mark eighths),and then mark each eighth into thirds (2 x 2 x 2 x 3 = 24). Or you can just cut in 1 inch segments if your log is actually 24 inches long!
10. Arrange the slices into a greased 9x13 inch baking pan. Cover with plastic wrap and leave to rest in a warm place for 2 hours. 
11. Bake at 375° F until golden brown about 15-17 minutes. Remove from oven and smother with cream cheese frosting.

CREAM CHEESE FROSTING

• 4 oz cream cheese, softened
• 1/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
• 1 cup powdered sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

1. Beat cream cheese with electric mixer for 1 minute until smooth. Scrap down the sides of the bowl with a spatula and then add butter. Beat butter into cream cheese for 1 minute, until combined. On low speed, add powdered sugar and vanilla (I folded the powdered sugar in by hand to avoid the mess and then used my hand mixer to completely combine ingredients.)
2. Store frosting in refrigerator in air tight container until ready to use!

Please bake these and share them!

xoxo, allison

BAKE | my favorite CARROT CAKE

There isn't much to say about this carrot cake. It's moist and delicious. When you crave carrot cake this is the cake you want to satisfy that craving. On Christmas, I made this as a birthday cake for Jesus after my mom's suggestion (carrot cake is her favorite & mine too).  My cousin wanted her own slice to take home, and the next day she snapchatted me a picture, which was a good enough reason for me to cut a huge leftover piece for myself and devour it before dinner (of course I snapchatted her a picture back). 

Gather the goods!

Wet stuff on the left; dry stuff on the right.

Pour in that oil!

Add in the strained pineapple & drink that yummy juice left in the can.

Giving my cake batter some baking inspiration. 

Frost that cake! Wax paper pieces to remove later so no one knows what mess was made.

Sorry two layers is all you get to see... (imagine it twice as good)

Ingredients
CARROT CAKE

• 3 and 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp salt
• 2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 3 large eggs plus 1 egg yolk
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons packed brown sugar
• 1 and 3/4 cups vegetable oil
• 1 cup crushed pineapple, drained
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 and 1/4 cups grated carrots

CREAM CHEESE FROSTING

• 12 ounces cream cheese, softened
• 3/4 cup (1 and 1/2 stick) unsalted butter, softened
• Pinch of salt
• 3 cups powdered sugar, sifted
• 3 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

1. Preheat to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour two 9-inch round pans (or 10- or 12-cup Bundt pan)  and set aside.
2. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon. 
3. In a medium bowl, whisk together eggs, yolk, and sugars. Blend with a whisk until well incorporated and slightly thickened. Add the oil and stir. Add crushed pineapple and vanilla, and stir until incorporated.
4. Add the pineapple mixture, all at once, to the flour mixture. Fold together with a spatula. When almost incorporated, fold in the carrots. Fold until evenly blended. 
5. Pour cake batter into prepared pans and bake for 30-35 minutes (45-55 minutes for Bundt pan), or until a skewer inserted into the center comes out clean. Let cake cool in pan for 15 minutes before inverting on a wire rack to cool completely before frosting. 

To make the frosting,

1. Place cream cheese in the bowl of an electric stand mixer. Beat the cream cheese for 1 minute, then scrape down the sides. Add the butter & beat them together for 1 minute, until smooth.
2. Turn the mixer on low and add the salt & powdered sugar, then the vanilla extract. 
3. Stop the mixer and scrape down the sides and the bottom of the bowl. Beat on medium speed until the mixture is silky smooth/velvety soft.
4. If you want to make the frosting days ahead it will last, in an airtight container, in the refrigerator for up to 7 days

To assemble the cake, I sliced the two cakes in half (for 4 layers). Then, using about 2/3 of the frosting, I frosted between each layer and then did I crumb coat layer. I put the cake in the fridge for 20-30 minutes and then frosted the entire cake with the remaining third of the frosting. I topped the cake with some meringue carrots and sheep my little sister piped and a cardboard banner :) Everyone raved about my cake - which is special coming from a family of bakers.

xoxo, allison