Cinnamon Swirl Cake with Mascarpone icing
Ok, we have our first week of school under our belts and I feel like I’m dying! Anyone else with me on this? Schools in Texas start at 7:30am. 7:30 in the morning! Which means after getting the kids up (including my husband), getting them ready for school, breakfast, sunscreen and out the door… I’m officially exhausted by 8am. I need a nap people! But nope, there’s no daytime tv and bon boys for this mom. There’s laundry, errands, house cleaning, dinner prep, lunch prep, snack prep and maybe I get to sit down to lunch for myself. Then…. the afternoon starts… pick up for 2 kids, dance lessons, taekwondo, swim…so by the time dinner comes around I’m dead. Like seriously lay on the couch, don’t move me… dead. And this is only the first week! I’m not sure If I’m going to survive the future dance rehearsals, dance recitals, belt tests, swim tests, regular school tests!! Can I get a vacation… STAT please!
After being both a working mom and a stay at home mom, I can unequivocally say they are both hard… in different ways. As a working mom, I wasn’t physically there to take my kids everywhere, plan their meals… etc… so a lot of the load was mental. I had to remember everything I had to do for work, for my boss, plus all the kids stuff. But I was able to escape to an office and nap on a bus ride into the city. As a stay at home mom, the load is pretty physical as I’m the primary person there for them, chauffeuring them around, helping with homework, making meals. But my brain is a bit more free to remember just home stuff. Both are tiring. Both are draining. Both are hard. But I feel lucky to have had both vantage points. Not many people get that chance. I enjoy both. I loved my job, but I missed my kids. I love my kids, but I miss having a purpose outside of the house. I guess that’s what this blog is for. So thanks for reading it and giving me a place to vent, write and speak to other mom’s and bakers, out there! So I guess it’s enough with the mommy venting portion lets get to the good stuff that keeps me sane most days… This Cinnamon Swirl Cake!
Have you ever had one of those days when you just wanted a warm, gooey, cinnamon roll but weren’t near a Cinnabon? Or had that cinnamon roll craving but didn’t want to take 5 hours of your day making it? Then this is definitely the recipe for you. All the gooey, cinnamon, warmth, all built into an easy to make cake! It’s 30 minutes to cinnamon heaven!
This hug in a pan starts with a simple cake batter that gets whipped up in the bowl of your electric mixer. All the ingredients go into the bowl and combined. Melted butter comes in last, but isn’t that always the best part? The batter is poured into your greased pan and then comes the love….
In a separate bow, mix together the softened butter, brown sugar and cinnamon. Drop the mixture onto the cake batter in 9 dollops around the pan. then using a butter knife or chop stick, swirl this cinnamon mixture in a circle in the areas that you dolloped. This created a cinnamon swirl reminiscent of our beloved cinnamon rolls, plus makes a handy cutting guide later! Bake this off at 350F for 25 minutes.
While the cake cools, make the marscapone icing. Spread this over the slightly cooled cake and dig into this warm, gooey, slice of happiness! Your welcome!
Cinnamon Swirl Cake with Mascarpone icing
Ingredients
for the cake:
1 1/2 cups AP flour
1/8 tsp salt
1/2 cup plus 2 tbsp sugar
2 tsp baking powder
3/4 cups milk
1 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
2 tbsp butter, melted
For the cinnamon swirl:
1 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 cup brown sugar
1 tbsp cinnamon (I used roasted Saigon cinnamon, but regular us fine!)
For the icing:
1/2 Cup mascarpone cheese
1 cup powdered sugar
pinch of salt
Method
Preheat the oven to 350F and grease a 8X8 square pan with butter or cooking spray. Set aside.
In a large bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, combine all the ingredients for the cake minus the melted butter. Once the ingredients have been cohesively mixed, add in the melted butter and stir to combine.
Pour the batter into your greased pan and make the cinnamon swirl mixture.
In a separate bowl, mix together the softened butter, brown sugar and cinnamon. Drops 9 dollops over the cake and use a butter knife or chopstick to swirl each dollop into a single swirl.
Bake the cake for 25-27 minutes and allow to cool on a wire rack.
While it cools. make the icing, by mixing together the mascarpone, sugar and salt. Spread icing over the slightly cooled cake. Slice into 9 pieces and enjoy!