Cinnabon Graduation Cake

29.05.14

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My son graduates from middle school next month so I’m planning a small family and friends lunch to celebrate the end of this chapter. Sigh. Middle School. The funniest, goofiest, confusing and most gray hair inducing years ever. What happens to kids during these years? It’s like the gray area of puberty and the boot camp of parenting. They’re not little boys and girls anymore but they’re not young adults either. And as a parent you’re trying your best to navigate between that fine line of protecting them and learning when to let go. It just makes me want to eat cake. Lots of it.

All jokes aside, I’m happy that my son is entering a new chapter in his life. He’s an intelligent kid with a kind heart and old soul, who loves a homemade baked treat from mom. While going over the menu for his graduation lunch, he asked me to make Cinnabons for dessert. I’ve never made them so I looked up a recipe for a cake version that several people can enjoy. I found

this recipe
that I would like to share with you but with a bit more details about the ingredients I used. This is a very decadent cake, so I tried to make a healthier version but I followed the same measurements on the site, and it was perfect. This was the test run before I prepare it for guests, and it got the thumbs up from my son. Give it a try!
cinnabon cake
Cinnabon cake. What I used: 3 cups of unbleached flour, 1/4 tsp of sea salt, 1 cup of organic sugar, 4 tsp baking powder, 1 1/2 almond milk, 2 organic eggs, 2 tsp bourbon vanilla, 4 tbsp of organic butter, Coconut Oil cooking spray. What I did: I followed these instructions, but all you do is mix the ingredients in your blender or with an electric mixer. Once everything is blended together, spray the Coconut Oil into your baking pan and pour the batter evenly throughout.

Cinnamon Swirl. What I used: 1 cup of brown sugar, 2 tspn of unbleached flour, 2 sticks of organic butter, 1 tbsp of cinnamon and 2/3 cups of chopped pecans. What I did: Mix all the ingredients together and slowly drop and gently spread over the top of your batter. Use a knife and swirl it around the cake to create a marble effect.

Glaze. What I used: 2 cups of powdered sugar, 5 tbsp of almond milk and tsp of bourbon vanilla . What I did: I actually added the glaze to the individual pieces so it can be fresh and custom made to everyone’s sweet tooth (mine being a little less than my son).
cinnabon2Update: My son and boyfriend just asked for seconds (OK, I had more than my share too!). It’s a winner.