Cinnabun Coffee Cake #TheBookClubCookbookCC

This no-muss, no-fuss Cinnabun Coffee Cake is the perfect pairing for early morning coffee and a good book.

The past few weeks have been drenched in cold, windy, Oregon rain and added activities associated with family life. I really enjoyed stealing moments here and there to read Leif Enger's Peace Like a River. It was this month's selection for The Book Club Cook Book Cooking Crew and I have to thank Sarah, The Pajama Chef, for selecting it. It is the sort of title that I might have never had the opportunity to read, if it wasn't for this group and the diverse choices from the members.

I really enjoyed the goose hunting description early on in the story. With my own children always begging to go out in our corn fields for the honor, it is always interesting to hear about the surprises and mishaps.

Though I don't think my daughter would ever chase after a runaway bird, she did have an experience with a goose popping back up and jumping on the blind she was sharing with another little girl. They were quite surprised, but luckily one of the hunting dogs was quick to react before either girl could be pinched.

As with all the reading selections for #TheBookClubCookbookCC, there is one or more recipes inspired by the story, or recreated from it. Our group also is free to find our own inspiration from the food references to create or share our own recipes.

The recipe originally paired with the book was Mrs. Enger's Cinnamon Rolls with Coffee Frosting. I have to admit, the recipe sounds yummy! Despite multiple attempts to make it.... I wasn't able to fit in the time.

It suggests you have the dough ready by 6pm, so it can rise overnight and then be baked at 5am the following morning. Despite living on a working farm, I am not up that early... and neither is my husband. I am lucky to roll out of bed at 5am for a half-hearted shuffle on the treadmill.

Yeah, the cinnamon rolls just didn't happen.

I finally decided that as a busy Mom with small children and irregular sleeping habits (the children, not necessarily me!) I needed a recipe that would make itself. Okay, it doesn't quite bake itself and all that... but, I did create this coffee cake with the help of more capable hands than mine .... my breadmaker. Thank goodness for modern conveniences!

The coffee cake is simple, but it does taste like a warm cinnamon roll and even tastes better with a little coffee frosting drizzled over the top.

Be sure to keep reading till the end for the giveaway.

Cinnabun Coffee Cake

You will need:
7/8 c. whole milk
1 tsp. vanilla bean paste
1 large egg yolk
2 Tbsp. unsalted butter, cut into cubes
2 1/4 c. all-purpose flour
1/4 c. sugar
1 tsp. salt
2 tsp. active yeast
3/4 c. all-purpose flour
3/4 c. brown sugar
1/2 c. rolled oats
1/2 c. chopped pecans
1 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 c. unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 c. confectioner's sugar
strong black coffee, as needed to create the right consistency

Place the whole milk through active yeast in your bread machine bread pan as directed by the manufacturer's instructions. My machine goes from wet to dry ingredients with yeast being added last. Set the machine for the dough cycle.

Spray a 9x13" baking dish with non-stick spray.

Create the crumble topping by mixing together the 3/4 c. flour, sugar, oats, pecans, and cinnamon. Rub the butter into the mixture with your fingers to make moist crumbs.

When the dough cycle is complete. Flour your fingers and spread half the sticky dough into your baking dish. Stretch and push it into the corners. Sprinkle with a thin layer of topping, then top with the other half of the dough. Place the remaining topping on top. Let the dough rise in a warm place for 30 minutes.

Towards the end of the rising period,  preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

Bake the cake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.

While still warm, whisk together the confectioner's sugar with just enough strong coffee to make it pourable. Drizzle over the top of the coffee cake before serving.

Enjoy!

Giveaway

This month Sarah at The Pajama Chef, this month's host, is giving away a copy of the book.* Enter to win a copy of the cookbook so you can join us in future months, if you wish!

One of our lucky readers - US and Canada only! - can enter to win a copy ofThe Book Club Cookbook, Revised Edition: Recipes and Food for Thought from Your Book Club's Favorite Books and Authors by Judy Gelman and Vicki Levy Krupp, courtesy of Tarcher-Penguin. Giveaway runs from January 1st till January 31st at 6 o'clock PM, Pacific time. Please see terms and conditions in the rafflecopter widget below. Many thanks to Tarcher Books. You may find Tarcher: on the web, on Facebook, on Twitter, and on Pinterest.

a Rafflecopter giveaway
*Disclosure: Sarah received a complimentary copy of The Book Club Cookbook, Revised Edition: Recipes and Food for Thought from Your Book Club's Favorite Books and Authors by Judy Gelman and Vicki Levy Krupp as an opportunity to give a copy away. Opinions are our own. We received no further compensation for our posts.