Cinnamon Cake with Chocolate Frosting

Hi there, chickadees!

It's election season and the polls are in full swing. Let's take one of our own, shall we?

Stand up if you've ever had chocolate frosting.

(Yay! The whole room is standing!)

Now stay standing if you've ever had cinnamon cake, or a cinnamon muffin, or some other kind of fluffy cinnamon cake-y thing.  If not, take a seat.

(Yay again! Most of you are still standing!)

Now, stay standing if you've ever had cinnamon cake paired with chocolate frosting.  If not, sit your bum down.

(Aw, bummer. You all sat down. I liked it better when you were standing. We could've had a dance party if you were all standing.)

The results of this poll: You should all make this cake so we can have a dance party.

Nowhere near as flashy as in-your-face cupcakes with their fancy wrappers, mile-high frosting, and sparkly sprinkles, this cake is quietly bold in its pairing of cinnamon and chocolate, and that's exactly what makes it so appealing. If it were a kid in school it would be that quiet, quirky girl who wears her hair in different braids every day and maybe doesn't raise her hand all the time, but who does have something interesting to say when the teacher calls on her, and who everyone--even the popular girls--secretly admires.

(Not that I have any experience with that sort of thing...)

As the results of our poll show, the pairing of cinnamon and chocolate doesn't get nearly as much attention as it deserves. And while it seems like this cake would be more at home at a tea party than a dance party, I like to think it's happy just being itself and making an impression where it can--be it at breakfast, snack time, or dessert. And who knows--if it's like that quirky girl, it has preferred dance parties to tea parties the whole time.

Happy baking and dancing!

-Katie

Cinnamon Cake with Chocolate Frosting

Adapted from Dorrie Greenspan's Baking: From My Home to Yours, via The Food Librarian and Tracey's Culinary Adventures

Makes 9-12 servings

Cake Filling

2 tablespoons sugar

2 teaspoons cinnamon

1 ½ teaspoons instant espresso powder (optional – you can’t taste it, but it amps up the chocolate flavor)

3 ounces bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped, or 1/2 cup mini chocolate chips (I used semisweet chocolate chips ground in the food processor)

Cake

1 1/4 cups sugar

1 tablespoon cinnamon
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
pinch of salt
3/4 cup whole milk (I used skim milk and it worked just fine)
2 large eggs
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
10 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled

Frosting
6 ounces bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped (again, I used semisweet chocolate chips)
2 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into small pieces

1.  Center rack in oven and preheat oven to 350 F. Butter an 8-inch square baking pan and line the bottom with parchment or wax paper. Place pan on a baking sheet.

2. Make the filling: In a small bowl, stir together the sugar, cinnamon, and espresso powder. Have your chopped chocolate ready to go as well.

3. Make the cake: In a large bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and cinnamon. In another bowl, whisk together milk, eggs and vanilla. Pour liquid ingredients over flour mixture and gently whisk until you have a homogenous batter. Now, using a rubber spatula, fold in butter with a light touch, just until the butter is absorbed. You'll have a smooth, shiny batter.

4. Scrape half of batter into pan and smooth top. Sprinkle chocolate over batter and dust with cinnamon-sugar-espresso mixture. Cover with rest of batter and smooth top again.

5. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes, or until cake is puffed and beginning to pull away from the sides of pan; a thin knife inserted into center will come out clean. Transfer cake to a cooling rack and let rest for 15 minutes before unmolding onto another rack. Peel off paper, invert onto the first rack, and cool to room temperature right side up.

6. Make the frosting: Put chocolate and butter in a heatproof bowl and fit bowl over a saucepan of simmering water. Cook, stirring gently and often, just until they melt. Be careful not to overheat the mixture so much that it thins out; the chocolate should be smooth, very shiny, thick and spreadable. (If it thins, leave the frosting at room temperature for a bit, until it thickens a little.) (Note: I had to add a little extra butter to my frosting for it to thin out.)

7. Using an offset metal icing spatula or a table knife, spread frosting in generous sweeps and swirls over the top of cake. Allow frosting to set at room temperature, then cut cake into 9-12 squares.

Storing: Wrapped in plastic, cake will keep at room temperature for 2 days. It can be frozen for up to 2 months, but it's best to put cake in the freezer unwrapped and then, when the frosting is firm, to wrap it airtight; defrost, still wrapped, overnight in the refrigerator.

Mardi Gras Cupcakes

Kate and I first made these festive cupcakes a week ago for a spectacular Mardi Gras party. With three colors of cake, cinnamon frosting, and sparkly sprinkles, they were the perfect (and portable) substitute for the traditional New Orleans King Cake. We even hid a little plastic baby in one!

(Hold on. A plastic baby?!? Yes, a plastic baby! To read more about this Mardi Gras tradition, click here.)

Last night, I made another batch, but not in celebration of Mardi Gras, a.k.a. Fat Tuesday or Eat-As-Many-Pancakes-As-You-Want-Day. This batch I made in celebration of a very special group of people - twenty-two college students who have decided to spend their spring break on a service trip to New Orleans.

My colleague and I will accompany these exceptional young students as they connect with the community of New Orleans, sharing their love of the arts through teaching and building hope with Habitat for Humanity. It shall be an exhilarating and exhausting week full of friends, fun, and hard work.

As an advisor on the trip last year, I was overwhelmed by all the giving taking place throughout the week - the gifts of time, talent, and self that the students offered the community of New Orleans, and the gifts of hope, history, and heart that the city and its people gave back to them.

As we leave the Big Apple for the Big Easy, I figured the least I could do was offer these young givers a gift of my own in the form of - what else? - a New Orleans themed sweet treat.

For such a spectacular finished product, this recipe is surprisingly simple. Here's all you need to know: Just separate the batter from a box of yellow cake mix into three bowls, add food coloring (for the brightest colors, use the gel variety), and drop a heaping tablespoon of each color batter into muffin cups. Bake as directed. For the frosting, beat some cinnamon and vanilla (no need to measure) into store-bought vanilla icing. Frost cupcakes with an offset spatula or frosting bag, add sprinkles or sparkling sugar, and voila! Mardi Gras madness!

These are for you, NOLA team 2012. Let the giving begin!

-Becky

Recipe adapted from Sweet Tooth. Makes 24 cupcakes. Store in an airtight container up to 3 days.

Raspberry Cream Cheese Coffee Cake Muffins

Hey Readers!

It's October, which means Becky and I are in California for our little annual family reunion. And by "Becky and I," I mean "just me".  Becky got stuck in NY this year :-(

But distance can't keep this baking team apart. When Becky heard I was making the Raspberry Cream Cheese Coffee Cake for the Cali guests (which has disappeared in the time it has taken me to write this post!), she decided to participate from afar. Of course, Beck doesn't have a houseful of guests to bake for; her coffee cake needed to be portable so she could distribute it to friends in NY. Thus, Raspberry Cream Cheese Coffee Cake Muffins were born.

To make muffins, simply mix up the coffee cake batter, divide it into 12-14 muffin cups, add a dollop of cream cheese and a dollop of jam, and bake for 20 minutes. Add icing if desired.

Easy-peasy raspberry cream cheesy muffins!

We miss you in Cali, Beck...though I think in your absence, I'm entitled to eat your slice of coffee cake :-)

-Katie

Raspberry Cream Cheese Coffee Cake Muffins
Makes 12-14 muffins


Coffee Cake:

2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/3 cup sugar
1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar*
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup butter cut into small pieces and chilled
3/4 cup milk
4 ounces cream cheese
4 ounces raspberry jam

Note: To use a baking mix such as Bisquick, replace first five ingredients with 2 cups baking mix, adding a tablespoon of sugar.

*we've also used baking soda in a pinch

Powdered Sugar Glaze:

1/2 cup powdered sugar, sifted

1/4 teaspoon vanilla

1-2 teaspoons milk

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line 12-14 muffin wells with paper liners.

2. Place flour, baking powder, sugar, cream of tartar, and salt (or 2 cups baking mix plus 1 tbsp sugar) in a large bowl. Using a pastry cutter, two knives, or your fingers, cut in the butter until dough resembles course crumbs.

3. Add milk and stir until evenly moistened. Dough will be quite sticky.

4. Place dough in muffin cups. Dollop a heaping teaspoon of cream cheese on top of each muffin, then a heaping teaspoon of jam.

5. Bake for 20 minutes or until nicely browned. Remove from oven and allow to cool 15 minutes.

6. If icing is desired, whisk together powdered sugar, vanilla, and one teaspoon milk. Continue to add milk until glaze reaches drizzling consistency. Drizzle glaze over muffins.

Coca-Cola Cupcakes

About a month ago, on a rainy Saturday afternoon, friend Katie and I went on a Katie Date to Red Hook, Brooklyn.

Red Hook is well known among New Yorkers because it is home to the water-taxi accessible IKEA. But it wasn't IKEA that motivated us to take the two hour, one-way trip there that day (not that we didn't take advantage of our vicinity and stop in for some Swedish meatballs. Obviously.)

It was the Baked bakery that called to us, which I had first heard about years ago on The Best Thing I Ever Ate. Some celebrity chef said that Baked's Sweet & Salty Brownie was the best brownie they'd ever had.

Naturally, the Sweet & Salty Brownie was the first thing I ordered. But Katie and I didn't stop there. Oh no. We had traveled by subway and bus to get there, after all. This trip was gonna be worth it.

Here's what we ordered:

Now, mind you, this photo doesn't do the size of these baked goods justice. That grasshopper bar is about the size of my palm (and probably contains half a pound of powdered sugar), and that slice of cake is as big as one of those giant blue IKEA bags. Seriously. (Okay, not seriously, but it was at least as big as the pile of meatballs I ate, and you know how I feel about meatballs).

So it's no surprise we didn't finish everything. But there was one thing we finished faster than I get lost in IKEA.

Can you guess what it was?

...

Hint #1: This is not a trick question.

...

Hint #2: Did you read the title of this post?

...

Hint #3: Really? You need a third hint?

...

Time's up! Did you guess the...

...Coca-Cola Cake?

Wow! You're so smart! Almost as smart as whoever invented Swedish meatballs! And this cake!

Man, was that Coca-Cola Cake GOOD. Mouth watering dark chocolate cake with frosting half an inch thick...

It was so good that I ran home and made a cupcake version for my co-worker's birthday the very next day.

I adapted the recipe from the first cookbook by Baked's creators, Matt Lewis and Renato Poliafito, which has a recipe for Root Beer Bundt Cake. I simply substituted Coca-Cola for the Root Beer. (I've made the Root Beer version before too - also very good.) You can't really taste the cola, but it does give the cake a certain "what is that flavor?" quality.

Also: this frosting is TO DIE FOR. If I had to choose between eating a tub of this frosting and eating a heaping pile of meatballs, I would toil over that decision, but in the end, I'd definitely choose this frosting. It's become a staple in our house - we use it on cupcakes, Chocolate Fudge Cake, and empty spoons.

Just the last week, the other Katie told me she couldn't stop thinking about the Coca-Cola Cake we ate at Baked. That makes two of us. If you're in the NYC area, head on over to Red Hook (via subway, bus, water taxi, or all three) and make sure to try it (either before or after your Swedish meatballs--we won't tell if you eat dessert first. We did). If you're not in the NYC area, I can't help with the meatballs, but the recipe for the cake is below.

Enjoy!
-Katie (and Katie)

Coca-Cola Cupcakes
Adapted from Baked: New Frontiers in Baking via Baked Perfection
Makes approximately 22 cupcakes.

For the cupcakes
2 cups Coca-Cola (do not use Diet Coke)
1 cup dark unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
1/2 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar
2 cups all purpose flour
1 1/4 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
2 large eggs


For the Coca-cola Fudge Frosting
2 oz dark chocolate, melted and cooled slightly
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
1 tsp salt1/4 cup Coca-cola
2/3 cup dark unsweetened cocoa powder
2 1/2 cups confectioners’ sugar


Make the cupcakes
1. Preheat the oven to 350F. Line 22 cups of a muffin tin with paper liners.


2. In a small saucepan, heat Coca-Cola, cocoa powder, and butter over medium heat until butter is melted. Add sugars and whisk until dissolved. Remove from heat and let cool.


3. In a large bowl, whisk flour, baking soda, and salt together.


4. In a small bowl, whisk eggs until just beaten, then whisk them into the cooled cocoa mixture until combined. Gently fold flour mixture into cocoa mixture. The batter will be slightly lumpy—do not overbeat, as it could cause the cake to be tough.


5. Use an ice cream scoop or 1/4 cup measuring cup to pour the batter into prepared baking pans. Bake cupcakes for 25 minutes or until a small knife (or toothpick) comes out clean.


6. Transfer cupcakes to a wire rack. Let cool for 3 minutes, then gently flip cupcakes on their sides in muffin tins so they don't get soggy. 


Make the frosting
1. Put all the ingredients in a food processor. Pulse in short bursts until the frosting is shiny and smooth. (Note: If you don't have a food processor, a hand mixer works just fine.)


2. Use a knife or offset spatula to spread the fudge frosting on the cupcakes. Decorate with sprinkles if desired. Let frosting set before serving.

Hummingbird Cupcakes

When Kate and I were little, our family had a bright red hummingbird feeder hanging outside the kitchen window. 

"Girls! Quick, come here! Shhhh.... look!" 

We'd stand there with Mama B or DaddyBob and marvel at these tiny, magical, beautiful birds, wings moving so fast you could hardly see them. They'd drink from the feeder, seemingly suspended in midair, and then, just as quickly as they arrived, they were gone.

Alas, half the time we missed it because we just weren't quick enough.

  

Which is kind of what happened when I brought these hummingbird cupcakes to work a couple of weeks ago. Here then gone? Um, yeah. Did Becky the baker and barer of tasty treats get one? Nope.

 

Which is why I saved three of them at home for myself. :-)

 

No one knows for sure how Hummingbird Cake got its name. Some say the recipe has roots in Jamaica, where the bird in question is a national symbol. Others claim the cake's sweetness draws folks to the table as sugar water draws birds to the feeder. Me? I'm with the crowd that calls this recipe the "Cake that Doesn't Last". Like witnessing the marvel of a hummingbird outside your kitchen window, you better act fast and grab some of this cake before it disappears.

 

 

 

I like this recipe because the tropical ingredients scream sunshine. It's simple to make, yet feels fancy - like banana bread all gussied up for a special occasion. Traditionally, it's made as a three-layer cake, which would be perfect to serve at an Easter or Mother's Day brunch (Happy Mama's Day, Mama B!)

 

The cupcake version that I share with you today makes the traditional transportable, which is key for subway-riding bakers like yours truly here in the Big Apple. So, whip 'em up, pack 'em up, and watch 'em fly away. And don't forget to save one for yourself. 

 

-Becky

 

Hummingbird Cupcakes

Adapted from Martha Stewart

Makes 24-30 cupcakes

For cupcakes:

3 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, melted and cooled

2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

2 cups sugar

3 large eggs

2 cups mashed ripe banana (about 3 large)

1 can (8 ounces) crushed pineapple, drained

1 cup chopped walnuts, or pecans

1 cup unsweetened coconut

For cream cheese frosting:

8 ounces cream cheese, room temperature

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, cut into pieces, room temperature

Approximately 1 pound confectioners' sugar

1/2 cup chopped walnuts or pecans for garnishing

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit, with rack in center. Line cupcake pan with paper liners; set aside.
2. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt; set aside.
3. With an electric mixer, beat butter, vanilla, and sugar until combined, about 2 minutes. Add eggs one at a time, incorporating each before adding the next. Beat at medium speed until mixture is pale yellow and fluffy, about 3 minutes.
4. In a medium bowl, stir together banana, pineapple, walnuts, and coconut. Add to egg mixture, mixing until combined. Stir in flour mixture.
5. Divide batter evenly among liners, filling about 2/3 full. Bake, rotating pans halfway through, until golden brown and a cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean, 25 to 28 minutes.
6. Let cool one minute in pans, then carefully transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
7. To make frosting, beat cream cheese and vanilla with electric mixer until light and creamy, about 2 minutes. With mixer on medium speed, gradually add butter, beating until incorporated.
8. Reduce mixer speed to low. Gradually add sugar until icing is smooth and reaches desired consistency.
9. Frost cupcakes using an offset spatula. Sprinkle with chopped pecans. Serve cupcakes at room temperature, or store in refrigerator up to three days.

Lemon Cupcakes with Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting

Hello, Readers. Have I ever told you how spectacular a baking team Beck and I make? We've recently found our usual baking-together-time drastically reduced by our differing weekend schedules, though. But has this stopped us from baking "together"? Nope. Read and observe.

The scene: A Saturday afternoon, ONE SISTER at home, the OTHER SISTER out and about. The NEED TO BAKE enters the apartment. A phone call is made.

I feel like baking.

So bake something.

What should I bake? Cupcakes?

Do you feel like baking cupcakes?

Yeah.

So bake cupcakes.

What kind of cupcakes should I bake?

I don't know. I have been wanting to bake lemon cupcakes myself.

So I should bake lemon cupcakes?

Sure. There was a recipe on Let's Dish.

(Pause while looking up the recipe online.)

Okay, yeah, I think we have all the ingredients except buttermilk. I guess I could go to the store for that.

You don't have to go to the store. You can make a buttermilk substitute with milk and lemon juice.

Oh yeah. But we don't have any milk. Or lemons, now that I think about it.

Oh. Well, you're gonna at least need lemons to make lemon cupcakes. The bodega on the corner should have both lemons and milk. You don't have to go all the way to the store.

Oh yeah, the bodega. Ok. I'll make lemon cupcakes.

Ok. Have fun. Talk to you later.

(Hours pass. Lemony sweet cupcakes are baked. Mouths water. Suddenly, THE NEED FOR A MISSING INGREDIENT enters the apartment. A text message is sent.)

Can you pick up a block of cream cheese for frosting on your way home?

(After 20 minutes of no response, things get more urgent.)

Don't forget to pick up cream cheese! These cupcakes look good!

(More waiting. Then finally, a response...)

Will do!

(Cream cheese is bought and brought home. Icing is whipped up, cupcakes are frosted. Sprinkles are sprinkled. The two bakers may or may not squeeze leftover frosting directly into each other's mouths. Everyone is happy on a sunshine-y, sugar-induced high. End scene.)

I know...I should get some sort of playwriting award for that scene. Totally captivating.

Were you observing though? Did you see the successful baking teamwork?

That's how Becky and I work best. There's something to be said for baking something from inspiration to consumption all on your own. But for us, there's often more satisfaction in combining our baking prowess, even if we're not in the same place at the same time. You could say that our teamwork is like the sprinkles on these cupcakes - it's not necessary, but it definitely takes things up a level.

Or better said, our teamwork is like that extra frosting. It just plain makes things more fun.

Amen.

-Katie

Lemon Cupcakes with Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting

Adapted from Let's Dish

Makes approximately 24 cupcakes

Cake
2 1/4 cups cake flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/4 cups buttermilk
4 large egg whites
1 1/2 cups sugar
Zest of two lemons
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon lemon extract

Frosting
2 (8) ounce packages cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, softened
2 pounds confectioners’ sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Juice of one lemon

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line cupcake tins with paper liners, or spray with non-stick cooking spray.  

2. To make cake, sift together flour, baking powder and salt and set aside. Whisk together milk and egg whites in another medium bowl.  

3. In a large bowl, rub lemon zest and sugar together with your fingers until the sugar is moist and fragrant. Add butter and beat at medium speed for a full 3 minutes, until light. Beat in vanilla and lemon extract, then add one third of flour mixture, still beating on medium speed. Beat in half of milk-egg mixture, then beat in another third of flour mixture until incorporated. Add rest of milk-egg mixture, then final third of flour mixture. Beat for an additional 2 minutes until batter is well blended.  

4. Place the batter into the prepared tins. Bake 18-20 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool on wire rack before frosting.

5. Meanwhile, make frosting by blending butter and cream cheese with an electric mixer until well combined. Gradually add in confectioners’ sugar until fully incorporated, then mix in vanilla and lemon juice. 

6. Spread frosting on cupcakes with an offset spatula, or place frosting in a Ziploc bag with the corner snipped off, and pipe frosting onto cupcakes. Decorate with sprinkles as desired.

Mardi Gras King Cake

Hey everybody!

Beck is back from New Orleans, where she didn't crash the 15-person van. Yay, Beck! We knew you could do it!

Perhaps Becky will tell you all about her trip soon (well, about the food at least), but in the meantime, I'll tell you about the New Orleans treat I cooked up while she was gone: A Mardi Gras King Cake.

Did you know that King Cake is basically a giant cinnamon roll?!

Yeah, I didn't either! But it's actually even better than a giant cinnamon roll because it's got confetti-colored sugar on top, and a little baby king inside.

A naked baby king, if you go to the same party store I did.

...But I guess that's neither here nor there.  Let's just not think about the naked baby inside the cake, okay?

Confetti-colored sugar and plastic baby aside, there's another reason I like King Cake more than cinnamon rolls: it's a treat that's meant to be shared. The tradition states that whoever gets the baby in their slice must host the Mardi Gras gathering or bring the King Cake the following year. The very cake sets up the expectation that you'll share in this celebratory meal - and therefore in each other's company - in the year to come.

Good food and good company: two things that will make anyone feel like a king.

A note about the recipe for those of you as scared of using yeast as I am - it's not as hard as it looks. Make sure you have a warm place for the dough to rise and a little patience, and you're set. Mardi Gras is all about turning the world topsy-turvy, after all; perhaps it's time to throw your old baking habits out the window and try something new. And hey, even if the cake doesn't rise correctly, you still get to make it  pretty with green, purple, and yellow sugar. And a naked baby.

Enjoy!

-Katie

Mardi Gras King Cake

Adapted from AllRecipes.com

Makes 1 cake (easily doubles to make two cakes)

• PASTRY:
• 1/2 cup milk
• 2 tbsp butter
• 1 (.25 ounce) package active dry yeast (or 2 1/4 tsp instant yeast)
• 1/3 cup warm water (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)
• 1/4 cup white sugar
• 1 egg
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
• 2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
•  
• FILLING:
• 4 oz cream cheese, room temperature
• 3 tbsp powdered sugar
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 
  
• 1 cup packed brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup melted butter
•  
• FROSTING:
• 4 oz cream cheese, room temperature
• juice of one orange
• 3/4 cup powdered sugar
• milk as needed to reach desired consistency

GARNISH

green, yellow, and purple sparkling sugars

plastic baby, crown, or chocolate coin

• 
  

Directions

1. Scald milk, remove from heat and stir in butter. Allow mixture to cool to room temperature. In a large bowl, dissolve yeast in the warm water with 1 tablespoon of the white sugar. Let stand until creamy, about 10 minutes.*
2. When yeast mixture is bubbling, add the cooled milk mixture. Whisk in the egg. Stir in the remaining white sugar, salt and nutmeg. Beat the flour into the milk/egg mixture 1 cup at a time. When the dough has pulled together, turn it out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic, about 8 to 10 minutes.
3. Lightly oil a large bowl, place the dough in the bowl and turn to coat with oil. Cover with a damp cloth or plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place until doubled in volume, about 2 hours. When risen, punch down.
4. Preheat oven to 335 degrees F. Grease cookie sheet or line with parchment paper.
5. To Make Filling: Beat cream cheese, powdered sugar, and vanilla in a medium bowl until smooth. In another bowl, combine the brown sugar, ground cinnamon, 1/2 cup flour, and melted butter and mix until crumbly.**
6. Roll dough into large rectangle (approximately 10x16 inches). Using an offset spatula or spoon, spread cream cheese mixture in a thin layer over dough to within 1/2 inch of long edges, all the way to short edges. Sprinkle cinnamon mixture over the cream cheese and spread evenly.  
7. Roll up dough tightly like a jelly roll, beginning on a long side. Bring the ends of roll together to form an oval shaped ring. Place ring on prepared cookie sheet. Grease a small oven-proof bowl or ramekin and place in center to help maintain center hole while cake rises and bakes. Cover cake with plastic wrap or tea towel and let rise in a warm spot until doubled in size, about 45 minutes.
8. Bake in preheated oven for 20-25 minutes or until top is golden brown.
9. Transfer cake to wire rack. While cake is still warm, push baby into bottom of cake, and frost.  Sprinkle with colored sugar.

*If using instant yeast, omit proofing step and instead just add water to milk mixture, and add yeast with flour.

**For a different flavor, try using canned pie filling in place of the cinnamon brown sugar mixture.

Other notes

On yeast: I am by no means a yeast expert (I can count on one hand the number of recipes I've tried involving yeast). What I do know is that keeping the dough warm while it rises is essential. I have found that the best method for me is turning on the oven and letting the dough sit on the stovetop.