CINNABON CAKE

She’s a bit of a dark horse. What appears to be a vanilla cake, is spiced up with a rich cinnamon swirl throughout the cake. Her mysteriousness won’t disappoint!

INGREDIENTS

CAKE
3 cups cake flour
1 cup white sugar
4 tsp baking powder
¼ tsp salt
1 tbsp vanilla essence
1 ½ cup milk
3 large eggs
1/3 cup butter, melted

CINNAMON SWIRL
1 cup butter, softened
1 cup brown sugar
2 tbsp cake flour
1 tbsp cinnamon
1tsp mixed spice
¼ tsp salt

ICING
230g (1 tub) cream cheese
1 tbsp vanilla essence
100g icing sugar, sifted
pinch of salt

METHOD

CAKE
1. Preheat the oven to 160°C and position the oven rack in the middle of the oven.
2. Prepare a large bundt cake tin with non-stick spray. Spray vigorously.
3. In a large mixing bowl, sift together all the dry ingredients.
4. Make a well in the middle of the dry ingredients and add all the wet ingredients.
5. Using an electric mixer, whisk together the batter until well combined and smooth. Set aside.

CINNAMON SWIRL
1. In a medium bowl, using an electric mixer, whisk together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy (±5min).
2. Add the rest of the ingredients and whisk until well combined and smooth.

ASSEMBLE
1. Pour 2/3 of the cake batter into the prepared cake tin.
2. Spoon the cinnamon swirl mixture over the cake batter and gently swirl the mixture with a knife to create a marble effect.
3. Pour the rest of the cake batter into the cake tin to cover the batter completely.
4. Bake the cake for 40-45 minutes until a toothpick/cake tester comes out nearly clean when inserted in the middle of the cake (Tip 1).
5. Remove the baked cake from the oven and allow to rest for 10 minutes before gently loosening the sides of the cake with a butter knife.
6. Carefully demould the cake onto a cooling rack and allow to cool down completely before icing the cake.

ICING
1. In a medium bowl, using an electric mixer, whisk the cream cheese and vanilla until soft (±5min).
2. Add the rest of the ingredients and whisk until smooth and shiny.
3. Top the cooled cake with the icing and store in an airtight container at room temperature.
TIPS
1. The cinnamon swirl mixture will remain a bit wet and sticky, even when the cake is ready and fully baked. Therefore, the cake should be tested by checking if the plain cake mixture is baked. Be careful to not overbake the cake.