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.

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Tags: Bake, Baking, Breakfast, Cake, cinnamon, cinnamon roll, Cream Cheese, frosting, Maple, Maple Sugar

Hello, everyone! It’s so good to be posting again. Can’t wait to share new recipes that I try and modify. As predicted by my mother-in-law, I haven’t had to change the amount of food I fix very much - she warned me to continue “cooking for seven!”

While we were on our honeymoon, my post about red wine cake was featured on Tasty Kitchen. Check it out!

This past month has been the happiest in my life. I can’t believe how blessed I am to be married to such an amazing man.

I’m hoping to eventually share many more photos and perhaps a bit of our story on my personal blog. Check out a couple more photos from our wedding here and here. Many thanks to my friend, Beth Schoenfelder, for taking these photos!

Until we meet again…happy cooking!

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These last few days of being single (yay!), I have been reflecting a bit on my life at home. Until now, it hasn’t really hit me that I’m leaving - entering a wonderful, new life with my husband-to-be. Apparently it hit my mom as well…we had a crying-and-hugging-fest today.

Cooking for Seven has been such a great creative outlet for me over the years (Did I really start this blog almost three years ago? How time flies…), and a bit of a challenge. Thank you all for your encouragement, tips, praise, and corrections (thank you for being honest!). It is my intention to continue sharing recipes with you after I’m married…my future mother-in-law instructs me to continue “cooking for seven” — my fiance eats a lot!

But I must say goodbye for a little while as I am getting married this weekend! Until we meet again, here is a scrumptious recipe for Maple Pecan Sticky Buns.
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Maple Pecan Sticky Buns

Adapted from Bon Appétit and the King Arthur Flour Baker’s Companion

Printable Page

Ingredients:

For the dough:

• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 cup whole wheat flour
• 2 teaspoon instant yeast
• 3 tablespoons maple sugar, granulated sugar, or sweetener of choice
• 1 1/4 teaspoons salt
• 1 - 1 1/2 cup milk, scalded and cooled
• 1 large egg, lightly beaten
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 tablespoons soft butter

For the filling:

• 3/4 cups pecans, finely chopped
• 1/2 cup (packed) golden brown sugar
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• soft butter for spreading on dough

For the syrup:

• 1/2 cup pure maple syrup
• 4 1/2 tablespoons (1 stick plus 1 tablespoon) unsalted butter
• 1/2 cup (packed) golden brown sugar
• 1/2 cup pecans, coarsely chopped

Direction:

For the dough:

1) Mix and knead together all the dough ingredients in a stand mixer, bread machine, or by hand to form a smooth, soft dough. Add more milk or water if the dough seems too stiff.

2) Place in a greased bowl. Cover with a towel. Set in a warm place and let raise until almost doubled, about 1 to 1 1/2 hours.

For the filling:

Mix together all the filling ingredients thoroughly in a small bowl.

For the syrup:

Butter a 13 x 9 x 2-inch glass baking dish. Combine maple syrup and butter in heavy medium skillet. Stir over medium heat until butter melts. Remove from heat. Mix in brown sugar. Pour syrup into prepared dish; tilt to coat of bottom of dish evenly. Sprinkle the pecans; cool

To assemble and bake:

1) Roll out dough on a lightly greased counter to an 11 x 20 inch rectangle. Spread the soft butter all over the dough, leaving a narrow strip free of butter along one long edge. Sprinkle with filling ingredients.

2) Starting with the buttered long edge, roll up the dough and pinch the edges to secure. Cut dough with a sharp, serrated knife into 1-inch rolls. Place in prepared baking dish. It’s okay to crown the buns a bit.

3) Cover and let raise until quite puffy, about 45 minutes to 1 1/4 hours. Preheat oven to 375° F.

4) Bake buns uncovered until tops are golden brown and syrup bubbles thickly, reversing dishes halfway through baking, about 25 minutes. Remove from oven and immediately invert onto a baking sheet. Cool for 5 minutes. Serve warm with lots of butter. (Can be made ahead. Cool buns completely. Wrap buns tightly with foil on baking sheet. Freeze up to 2 weeks. Bake frozen buns covered 375°F until heated through, about 15 minutes.)

Makes approximately 14 buns

Until after the honeymoon!

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Tags: Baking, Bread, Breakfast, Maple, Sweet

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Things I love. Things I want. Things I’m pretty sure I need to cook at some point in my life…

Slate cheese board. Or really anything from terrain.

Fresco Nesting Bakers. Oh, so vintage…and dishwasher safe! Score!

I want to make me some bacon Jam. Inspired by a tweet by Kamran of The Sophisticated Gourmet.

Ice Cream Cups. So colorful and fun!

Condiment Spoons. LOVE.

Just Stripes towels.

Gingham Tear-Off Napkins.

Organic lavender bundles.

Nutella Doughnuts. Um, yeah. Wow.

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Other awesome stuff worth mentioning:

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Square ramekins. A friend made crème brûlée in them, and I was hooked.

Teak Tea Spoon. I love little wooden spoons.

Fabric care symbols decoder. So handy. I should print it out and put it in the laundry room.

Sticky Toffee Pudding.

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Hope your week is off to an awesome start! Today I’m going to my first ever bridal shower held in my honor. So excited!

What makes you smile today?

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Tags: Links, stuff i love

Over 1.5 years ago, first posted this recipe for Rosemary & Thyme Spread. Now, I’ve recreated it with step-by-step instructions. Check out my Guest Post on the Tasty Kitchen Blog for many more photos!

As you can see, I still had my glorious watermark. I do still like the mood of this photo, though. Makes me want to take a bite!
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