Pipe Dream #303: To Cut It Out – Pumpkin Cinnamon Roll Cake

My friend got me this amazing cheater pan which encouraged my belief that I should never have to spend whole days making cinnamon rolls ever again. Why would I wait through two rises, when I can dump batter into a pan and pull these perfectly shaped buns out of the oven 45 minutes later? She wanted us to have a bake day to test this pan and like, spend time together, but I caved. The cinnamon roll pull was strong, and I am weak, and now you know that.

So I betrayed my friend, going ahead and making this cake in this pan without her by my side. Don’t be like me.

One consolation: this cake weren’t that great (like these pics, heavens). The recipe I adapted from included a heinous amount of butter and sugar (this is coming from me, so you know it is true). So I was determined to cut down on both (I added in some pumpkin to compensate for some of the butter reduction)…and I could tell. It just wasn’t sweet enough, moist enough or fluffy enough. Maybe I’m being critical, but seriously. It was so average.

Unbelievably, both my dad and my sister’s boyfriend were like, going on about this cake when I saw them a week or two later. I was incredulous, but they insisted it was their favorite thing…and they eat a lot of things that I make.

So I just don’t understand, but we’ll just add that to the list and not mind it anymore because it’s a low-priority thing to understand. Unlike how it was ever decided that harem pants were a cool thing. That is important to understand. Societal change must occur.

I’ll make a better cake in this pan with my friend and redeem myself in multiple ways next week.

L

Pumpkin Cinnamon Roll Cake

Inspired by Lovin’ in the Oven

For the cake:

3 cups flour

¼ teaspoon salt

1 cup sugar

4 teaspoons baking powder

1 ½ cups milk

2 eggs

2 teaspoons vanilla

1/4 cup (1/2 stick) real butter, melted

3/4 cup pumpkin puree

For the topping:

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, softened

3/4 cup brown sugar

2 tablespoons flour

1 tablespoon cinnamon

3/4 cup chopped pecans, (optional) (always measure the nuts first then chop them)

For the glaze:

1 tablespoon butter, softened

1 cup powdered sugar

2 tablespoons milk

1 tablespoon maple syrup

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Grease a Bundt, 9×13 or cinnamon roll pull apart pan lightly with butter. Sift together the flour, salt, sugar and baking powder in a large bowl. Whisk together the milk, eggs, pumpkin, melted butter and vanilla in a medium bowl. Stir the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients until blended, but don’t overmix. Pour batter into the greased baking pan.

For the topping, mix the softened butter, brown sugar, flour, cinnamon and pecans until well combined. Drop evenly over cake batter by spoonfuls and use a knife to swirl the topping through the cake.

Bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean from center. Turn the cake out onto a serving platter.

For the glaze, mix the butter, powdered sugar and maple syrup. Add milk, one teaspoon at a time, until the glaze reaches a spreading consistency. Schmear on a slightly cooled cake, and serve warm or at room temperature.