Cinnamon Roll Pie

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  

 

Imagine this:  You wake up early Christmas morning.  It's quiet in the house…not a creature is stirring. You quietly come down the stairs and immediately the smell of fresh brewed coffee fills the air. You are thankful for a coffee pot that brews your coffee automatically and can’t wait to grab your first cup.  You feel ambitious this morning so you decide to make cinnamon rolls for breakfast. But this is Christmas morning… so you take that first sip of hot coffee, grab your apron, and pump up the ambition another notch.  In a few minutes the house will smell like cinnamon and fresh baked dough and you can’t wait to have that first slice.  Wait, did I say slice?

 

 Cinnamon Roll Pie

1 cup milk lukewarm

2 large eggs room temperature

5 tablespoons butter softened

4 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

1/2 cup sugar

2 1/2 teaspoons instant yeast or active dry yeast

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cinnamon Roll Filling

1 cup brown sugar

6 tablespoons butter softened

3 tablespoons ground cinnamon

 

Pie Crust

2 unbaked pie shells

 

Cinnamon Roll Icing

2 cups powdered sugar aka confectioners’ sugar

2 tablespoons butter melted

1 teaspoon vanilla

4 tablespoons milk can substitute with heavy cream or half and half

 

 

  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  

 

 To make the cinnamon roll dough, combine all the dough ingredients in a mixer. Mix for 3 minutes. The dough will be sticky.  Place the dough in an oiled bowl and turn the dough to grease all sides. Cover with a clean towel and let rise until doubled in size. This will take 1 to 2 hours, depending on the temperature of the room.While the dough is rising, make the cinnamon roll filling by combining the brown sugar, softened butter, and ground cinnamon. Mix with a mixer until smooth.

 

When the dough has doubled in size, turn it out onto a floured board. Roll the dough out into a rectangle about ⅜ inches thick and spread the cinnamon mixture onto the dough. Starting with the short end, roll the dough (not too tightly) into a log. Cut the log into 12 to 14 equal-sized pieces.

 

 

 

 Place the center roll into each of the pie shells. Then add the remaining rolls to the pie shell. Cover with a clean towel, and let the dough rise again for 30 minutes. Preheat the oven to 375°F. 

 Bake the cinnamon roll pies for 15 to 20 minutes. While the pies are baking, make the frosting by combining all the frosting ingredients. Stir until smooth. Frost the pies with the icing after they have cooled for about 20 minutes.

NOTE:

Okay so you’re not a morning person.  But you like the thought of this, you just can’t find that ambition. Here are my shortcuts!

You can use Pillsbury canned cinnamon rolls. No one will know the difference.

 

 

 

 

You can buy pre-made pie shells. Homemade pie crust is best, but frozen ones are great for making pies in a hurry.

My White Chocolate Mousse Raspberry Cake

 My White Chocolate Mousse Raspberry Cake 

My Christmas cake this year turned out prettier than I thought it would.  I was inspired by a cake I saw this weekend at Costco but didn’t want to take all the extra time and effort to make it.  So I put together the same idea but much simpler.  This is a basic white cake filled with white chocolate mousse and raspberry filling.  So good!  Merry Christmas everyone! 

 My White Chocolate Mousse Raspberry Cake 

      

Raspberry Filling 

3 cups of fresh or frozen raspberries 

2/3 cup granulated sugar 

2 tsp lemon juice 

2 tsp fresh lemon zest 

1/4 cup + 2 Tablespooons water, divided 

2 Tablespoon cornstarch 

 

You need to make the raspberry filling in advance and allow to sit in the refrigerator overnight!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 Place the raspberries in a medium saucepan over medium high heat.  Add the sugar, lemon juice and zest along with ¼ cup of the water.

Stir the mixture until it begins to boil. Lower the heat to medium-low and allow the filling to simmer for 10-15 minutes. Turn off the heat and remove the pot from the stove.  

Pour the filling into a metal strainer suspended over a medium-sized bowl and push the mixture through using a rubber spatula. Use a decent amount of pressure to really get all the liquid through the sieve. You should be left with about 1/2 cup of pulp which can be discarded.

Make a slurry:  In a separate small bowl, make a slurry by combining the remaining 2 tablespoons of water with 2 tablespoons of cornstarch. Stir until the cornstarch has fully dissolved into the water.  Add the cornstarch mixture to the strained raspberry filling and stir until incorporated.

Rinse the pot of any remaining seeds and heat on medium-high heat, stirring constantly to prevent the filling from burning. Cook until the mixture begins to boil, then reduce the heat to medium-low. Continue to stir and cook for a few additional minutes to let the filling cook down and thicken.

Turn off the heat and pour the raspberry filling into a separate bowl to let it cool. Cover with plastic wrap and place in the fridge for at least 4 hours, or preferably overnight.

WHITE CHOCOLATE MOUSSE

 

6 ounces White Chocolate Chips

1 cup Heavy Whipping Cream, cold, divided

1/2 cup Powdered Sugar

 

Heat 1/4 cup of the heavy cream until it just starts to boil, then pour over the white chocolate chips. Cover with clear wrap for 3-4 minutes, then whisk until smooth. Sometimes the white chocolate doesn’t completely melt. If that happens, microwave white chocolate mixture in 10 second increments, stirring well between each increment, until smooth. Set aside to cool to room temperature.

Whip remaining 3/4 cup of heavy whipping cream and powdered sugar in a large mixer bowl until stiff peaks form.
Carefully fold about 1/3 of the whipped cream into the cooled white chocolate mixture until combined.  Fold in the remaining whipped cream until well combined. Set the mousse in the refrigerator until ready to use.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Vanilla Cake 

NOTE:  (I have used a boxed cake mix for this cake) 

1 ¾ cups all-purpose flour

1 tablespoon cornstarch

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 cup granulated sugar

½ teaspoon salt

½ cup unsalted butter, softened

2 large eggs

½ cup whole milk

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

1 tablespoon lemon zest

2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

 

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line the bottom of an 8-inch round deep cake pan or 8-inch round spring form pan with a round of parchment paper and lightly grease the sides.

 

Sift the flour, corn starch and baking powder into a mixing bowl. Add the sugar and salt and whisk to blend well. Add the soft butter, beaten eggs, lemon juice, lemon zest, milk and vanilla and beat using an electric hand mixer or a stand mixer on medium-low speed until the batter is smooth.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Spoon the batter into the prepared pan and spread it out evenly. Bake for 35-45 minutes until the cake is evenly golden and a skewer inserted into the center comes out clean. Transfer to a wire rack and let cool in the pan for 15 minutes, then invert onto a wire rack to cool completely.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Using a serrated knife, cut the cake in half and separate the two layers.

 

Assembling the cake:

 

Slice a thin layer off the top of the cake so it will lay flat on your plate.  

 

Next spread a layer of raspberry filling on top of the cake making sure the top is completely covered.

 

 

Next comes the white chocolate mousse.  Spread that all over the raspberry filling making sure to cover the entire surface.

 

Lay the second layer on top of the mousse and spread the filling on top making sure to cover the entire cake.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

FROSTING

 7 oz good white chocolate white chocolate
1 ½ cups heavy cream, divided
2 teaspoons vanilla bean paste
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Place chopped white chocolate into a large bowl. Pour ½ cup of cream into a saucepan with the vanilla paste and place over medium heat. Watch it as it comes to a simmer. Once simmering, immediately pour it over the chopped chocolate, cover the bowl and let stand for 2 minutes. 

Uncover and whisk until the chocolate is completely melted and the mixture is smooth and silky. Let it cool for 5 minutes so it is no longer hot, and then whisk in remaining cold cream. Place the bowl in the fridge and chill until completely cold. If you choose to chill overnight, then cover the bowl after 20 minutes.

 Once thoroughly chilled, beat with an electric hand mixer or stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment on medium speed until thick and fluffy. This will take about 2 minutes but it depends on your mixer. Watch the video to see the consistency you should be looking for.

Finally, generously add the frosting on top of the cake smoothing out with a spatula. You want the frosting to be as smooth as possible.

 

Decorate by adding about three tablespoons of the raspberry sauce over the entire surface of the filling. Swirl with a butter knife or skewer. Add the rest of the filling and dollop another 1/4 cup of sauce over the top. Swirl again. Add some white chocolate curls or shavings on top.

 

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