Sour Cream Cinnamon Rolls with Cream Cheese Frosting

Ooey gooey warm cinnamon rolls from scratch?  Yes please! You can make these the night before and bake them in the morning. You may be able to tell that I was up late at night making these.  The pictures are a little dark.  We had a father day brunch and they didn't last but a few minutes after I pulled them out of the oven.  I got one and when I went back to get another they were gone.  Next time I'm making a double batch for sure.

For the Cinnamon Rolls:
1 (8 oz) carton sour cream
2 TBSP butter
3 TBSP sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1/8 tsp baking soda
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1 package active dry yeast
3 cups all purpose flour
2 TBSP butter softened
1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar
2 tsp cinnamon

For the Cream Cheese Frosting:
1 (8 oz block) cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup butter softened
1 1/2 cup powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract

Make the frosting:  Beat cream cheese and butter at medium speed with electric mixer until smooth.  Gradually add powdered sugar.  Beat at low until light and fluffy.  Stir in vanilla.  Set aside. 

Make the cinnamon rolls:  Heat sour cream in a small saucepan on medium low heat until it reaches 105-115 degrees.

In a large bowl mix together the warm sour cream, 2 TBSP butter, 3 TBSP sugar, salt and baking soda.  Add egg and yeast.  Blend well.

Add 1 1/2 cups flour and beat at medium speed with an electric mixer until well blended.  Gradually stir in just enough flour until a soft  dough is formed.

Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead it 4 or 5 times.  Cover with plastic wrap and let it rest for 5 minutes.

Roll the dough out into an 18x6 rectangle.  With your fingers spread the 2 TBSP softened butter over the dough leaving the top 1 inch plain.

Sprinkle the brown sugar and cinnamon over the dough leaving the top one inch plain.

Roll up the dough, starting at the bottom and then seal at the top.  Put a little tiny bit of water at the top of the dough to seal it.  Slice the roll into 12 (1 1/2 in) slices.  Place the slices in a greased pan.  Cover and let rise in a warm place (85 degrees), free from drafts for about 30-45 minutes.

They will almost double in size.  From this point you can keep them covered and place in fridge overnight if you want to bake them in the morning.  Bake at 375 degrees for 12-15 minutes until golden.  As soon as you take them out of the oven spread a layer of frosting on them.  If they aren't gone before they are cooled add another layer of frosting.   Enjoy!

Vanilla Cake with Strawberry Cream Cheese Frosting

This recipe is from Bon Apetit magazine.  Why I don't have a subscription to Bon Apetit magazine is beyond me.  I need to get one right away!  The first time I made this cake was for Wills birthday.  Oh my gosh was it ever good.  It is a pretty big cake so I ended up giving a huge slice to Bailey's preschool teacher Ms. Mary.  The next day she asked if I could make one for her for Mother's Day.  What a compliment!  Knowing how good this cake is, it was really hard to make it and not eat any of it.  I might have to make it again for Father's Day. This cake is making it hard for me to be high school skinny again!!  Give yourself plenty of time to make this cake.  You want to make sure that the cake is completely cooled and the frosting is cold before you start adding the frosting and layering the cake. 

For the frosting:
2  8-ounce packages of cream cheese, room temperature (don't use low fat, no fat)
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
4 cups powdered sugar
1/2 cup seedless strawberry jam
3/4 cup chilled heavy whipping cream

For the cake:
3 cups cake flour
3/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
3 cups sugar
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
7 large eggs
2 TBSP vanilla extract
1 cup sour cream
6 TBSP plus 1/3 cup seedless strawberry jam
2 1/4 lbs strawberries, hulled, sliced (about 6 cups), divided

To make the frosting put a small/medium bowl in the freezer to chill. In a separate large mixing bowl, beat cream cheese and butter until smooth. Beat in sugar, then jam. Remove that chilled bowl from the freezer and beat cream in that chilled bowl until peaks form.

 Fold whipped cream into frosting. Cover; chill for a couple of hours until it’s firm enough to spread. (If you are in a hurry, you could put the frosting in the freezer to chill quickly.) 

 Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.  Butter and flour two 9-inch cake pans with 2-inch high sides. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, salt, baking powder, and baking soda and set aside.  In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating after each addition. Beat in vanilla. Add sour cream, and beat for 30 seconds. Add flour mixture in three additions, beating to blend after each addition. Divide batter into prepared pans.  Spread the batter so that it is even in the baking pans.  

Bake cake until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, check the cake at 50 minutes and if not done check again at 60 minutes. Remove cakes from oven and cool for 10 minutes. Run a sharp knife around the edges of the pans, then turn cakes out onto a rack to cool completely.  You can place the cakes into the freezer for 30 minutes if you are in a hurry. Slice the strawberries while the cake is cooling.

Using a serrated knife, carefully divide each layer in half horizontally. Place one half, cake side down, on a cake plate.

Spread 3 TBSP of strawberry jam over the cake, then spread 3/4 cup of the frosting over the jam. Arrange 3/4 cup of the sliced strawberries on top of the frosting in a single layer. Repeat two more times with cake layer, jam, frosting, and strawberries.

Top with remaining cake layer, cut side down. Spread two cups of frosting over the top and sides of the cake in a thin layer, then frost with remaining frosting.  This recipe makes a very big and beautiful 4-layer cake.