I’d like to think I’m not easily swayed by pretty pictures, but I was totally taken in last week by a photo of these amazing-looking molten cinnamon rolls.
They promised a warm, inviting cinnamon roll with oozing, melty cream cheese in the center.
Of course, I immediately bought a couple tubes of cinnamon rolls to give it a try.
I followed the recipe very closely (which everyone who knows me realizes was a struggle for me), and after wrapping little scoops of a frozen cream cheese mixture with the pre-made dough, I couldn’t wait to see my delicious molten cinnamon rolls come out of the oven.
The timer dinged, and I couldn’t wait to let them cool even a few minutes before I scooped one out and cut it in half.
And…nothing.
The cream cheese mixture had simply melted into the dough. All I accomplished was making some cream-cheesier-tasting cinnamon rolls, and nothing else.
So then I had the problem of another tube of cinnamon rolls in my fridge to solve. I was so sure that my molten rolls were going to be a hit, I already bought a second tube in anticipation. Well, as always, the Internet provided, which is where this week’s very simple recipe comes into play.
This comes from the blog “Love Bakes Good Cakes.” You can find the original post at https://www.lovebakesgoodcakes.com/cinnamon-roll-crumb-cake/. I added extra cinnamon in my version.
Cinnamon Roll Cake
Ingredients
- 17.5- ounce tube refrigerated cinnamon rolls
- 3 tablespoons butter melted
- 1/2 cup flour
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 1 rounded teaspoon cinnamon
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Prepare an eight-inch cake or pie pan by spraying it with cooking spray.
- Pop open the tube of cinnamon rolls. Set aside the frosting, and start by placing one cinnamon roll in the center of your prepared pan. Unroll the next cinnamon roll and create one, giant cinnamon roll shape by wrapping it around the roll in the middle. Continue until all of the rolls are used.
- In a bowl, mix the butter, flour, brown sugar and cinnamon until the mixture is well-combined and crumbly.
- Sprinkle the crumbs evenly over the top of the cinnamon rolls, and bake for 25 minutes or until the topping is lightly browned.
- Drizzle or pour the frosting over the top of the cake, and serve immediately. Store any leftovers in an airtight container.
This was very simple, but it had a wow factor, since it cuts into nice slices for serving. It looks a lot more complicated and impressive than it really is to make.
The addition of the extra crumble on top was really yummy, too, and this was great with a cup of coffee.
And I was glad I was able to find a use for my tube of cinnamon rolls after all. I always hate it when a recipe doesn’t work out, but in this case, at least it wasn’t terrible to have to eat my mistakes.
This piece first appeared in print on March 31, 2022.
Spice Up Your Life is a weekly newspaper column written by Lindsey Young in south central Kansas. If you are interested in sponsoring this column, please contact us through the “Contact Lindsey” link at the top of the page.
