Cinnamon Roll Bundt Cake

Here is something to fulfill your cinnamon bun cravings!  After all, it's the holidays and you'll have family and friends to help you eat it :) This cinnamon roll bundt cake would be a delicious addition to your Christmas breakfast or brunch!

While searching online for cookbooks to give as gifts, I came across the Beekman 1802 Heirloom Dessert Cookbook and was immediately attracted to the beautiful cover.  After browsing through the book, I bookmarked over a dozen recipes and have already made two of them, including their Cinnamon Bun Bundt Cake.

I made a few minor changes to the recipe in that I used my bread machine's dough cycle to knead and raise the dough.  You can find the bread machine instructions at the bottom of the recipe below.

Then, instead of 1 tablespoon of cinnamon to the filling, I used 2 teaspoons cinnamon and 1 teaspoon of Penzeys Baking Spice which added a wonderful depth of flavor with its allspice, mace, anise and cardamom for just a hint of Chai flavor.  My last change was to add 3/4 cup of toasted and chopped pecans to the filling.

It received rave reviews from my husband who patiently waited while I took these photos so he could have the first piece :)  Naturally, it's best when eaten the same day, but after giving some to my daughter, I wrapped the rest in plastic wrap and refrigerated it.  Warmed for a bit in the microwave, it was wonderful with my morning coffee the next day..
 

Cinnamon Roll Bundt Cake

adapted from The Beekman 1802 Heirloom Dessert Cookbook
Printable Recipe

Cinnamon Roll Dough:

1 pkg active dry yeast equally 2-1/2 tsp (make sure your yeast is fresh before starting)
1/4 cup plus 1 teaspoon granulated sugar
1/4 cup warm water (105° to 110° F)
6 tablespoons unsalted butter
4 large egg yolks
3/4 cup buttermilk
1 teaspoon salt
3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

3/4 cup toasted and chopped pecans (optional)

Vegetable oil for the bowl
Flour for the work surface

Bundt cake pan

*See my notes below for making with a bread machine

Filling:

5 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted (reserve 1 T for brushing bundt pan)
2/3 cup (plus more for dusting bundt pan)
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon Penseys Baking Spice (which is a combination of ground cinnamon, anise seed, mace, allspice and cardamom - or simply use 1 teaspoon of plain cinnamon)
1/8 teaspoon salt

For the cake dough:

In a small bowl, dissolve the yeast and 1 teaspoon granulated sugar in the warm water. Let stand 5 minutes, or until foamy.

Meanwhile, in a stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment, beat the butter and 1/4 cup granulated sugar until smooth. Beat in the egg yolks, buttermilk and salt until well combined.

Beat in the yeast mixture. Beat in 3 1/2 cups of the flour until combined.

Transfer the dough to a lightly floured work surface and knead until smooth, adding more flour if necessary.

Transfer the dough to a lightly oiled bowl, cover with plastic wrap and let stand at room temperature until doubled in volume, about 1 hour.

Transfer the dough to a lightly floured work surface and roll to a 12 by 18 inch rectangle. Brush with 3 tablespoons of the melted butter.

In a small bowl, combine the 2/3 cup brown sugar, the cinnamon and salt and sprinkle over the dough. Starting at one short end, roll into a cylinder. With a serrated knife, cut the roll in half crosswise, and then cut each half into six pieces so that you have 12 pieces.

Brush a 10 to 12 cup Bundt pan with melted butter and coat with the 3 tablespoons brown sugar. Place the pieces of dough, seam side down, around the pan.  I placed a layer of pieces all facing the outside of the pan first and then filled the pan with the remaining pieces so that the swirl pattern would show up all around the cake. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise until light and puffed, about 45 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 350°F.

Bake for 35 minutes, or until the buns are golden brown and well risen. Remove from the oven and let cool in pan for 5 minutes, then invert onto a cake plate or parchment-paper-covered cutting board. 

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*My notes for making dough with a bread machine:

First, I melted the 6 tablespoons of butter in a bowl. I stirred in the buttermilk and added the ¼ cup warm water. Then, I added a little of the buttermilk mixture to the egg yolks and stirred quickly, then added the egg yolks to the buttermilk mixture and again stirred quickly so the yolks would not cook even slightly when added to the warm mixture. 

In a separate bowl, I combined the flour, yeast, sugar and salt.

For my bread machine, I need to add all the ‘wet’ ingredients to the machine first, then add the dry ingredients over that. I set the machine to ‘dough’ cycle.

Proceed with the rest of the rest of the recipe as written after the dough has risen in the bread machine.