Oh mascarpone, how I love you

At first glance, the cinnamon rolls I pulled out of the oven this morning seemed like a really cruel joke, kinda like a size L in a Forever 21 store. They didn’t look like they were supposed to – the whole thing looked more like a cinnamon roll cake, or monkey bread gone wrong. I cursed myself for not getting up before the rising of the sun to use a traditional yeast recipe.

I didn't, really. I mean, come on - Alton Brown has an "overnight" recipe that takes almost 12 hours to complete. No, no, no. I specifically wanted no-fuss/no-yeast cinnamon rolls because what normal person has that kind of time on their hands?

In the end, it all turned out quite nicely, and I found myself giving a round of applause to the star player,  frosting.  Hooray for mascarpone frosting!  I think I made the wrong type (more like whipped topping), but when slathered over the hot rolls, it melted into a beautiful glaze that transformed the whole look and feel of the dish (messy, moist, and gooey - just as cinnamon rolls should be). This was a lot of work and I'm not really sure I'd attempt them again anytime soon. They were a hit at the office though, and that always makes me happy.

 

Cinnamon rolls with mascarpone frosting:
Adapted from gastronomyblog.com: https://sites.google.com/site/gastronomyrecipes/cinnamon-rolls-with-cream-cheese-icing

 Filling

• 3/4 cup packed dark brown sugar
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves (since cloves have never been on my list of “must have’s” I used pumpkin pie spice, which is a combination of ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, & allspice)
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, melted


Dough

• 2 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting the work surface
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 1 1/4 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/4 cups buttermilk (I used 1 cup skim milk and ¼ cup of heavy whipping cream since I didn't have buttermilk and didn't have time to make my own)
• 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

Directions
1. Adjust an oven rack to the middle position and heat the oven to 425°F. Grease both a 9-inch nonstick round cake pan and a wire cooling rack. If you have nonstick cooking spray, use that.

2. The melted butter is used in both the filling and the dough. Melt the total amount (7 tablespoons) all at once in a heatproof measuring cup, and use as the recipe calls for it.

3. For the filling, combine the brown sugar, granulated sugar, cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice (or cloves), salt, and 1 tablespoon melted butter together in a medium bowl until the mixture resembles wet sand.

4. For the dough, whisk the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together in a large bowl. In a separate bowl, whisk the milk, cream, and 2 tablespoons of melted butter together. Stir the milk/cream mixture into the flour mixture with a spoon until absorbed (about 30 seconds).

5. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface and knead until smooth, about 1 minute. I had to use quite a bit of flour because the dough was really sticky (I must have gone wrong somewhere)

6. Pat the dough with your hands into a 12 by 9-inch rectangle. Brush the dough with 2 tablespoons melted butter. Sprinkle the dough evenly with the brown sugar filling, leaving a 1/2-inch border. Press the filling firmly into the dough. I got a little wild at this point and threw in a handful of toasted pecans. I just spread them throughout the filling.

7. Use a scraper or metal spatula to loosen the dough from the work surface. Starting at a long side, roll the dough, pressing lightly, to form a tight log. Pinch the seam to seal. Roll the log seam-side down and cut it evenly into however many pieces you want – I came up with 8. Turn the pieces over on their flat sides, and with your hand, slightly flatten each piece of dough to seal the open edges and keep the filling in place.

8. Place 1 roll in the center of the prepared pan and then place the remaining rolls around the perimeter of the pan. Brush the rolls with the remaining 2 tablespoons butter (I forgot this damn step).

9. Bake until the edges are golden brown, 20 to 25 minutes (20 minutes worked for me).

10. Use an offset metal spatula to loosen the buns from the pan. Wearing oven mitts, place a large plate over the pan and invert the buns onto the plate. Place the greased cooling rack over the plate and invert the buns onto the rack. This is risky business, be careful.

11. Cool a few minutes before frosting.

 

Frosting:

From: http://www.marthastewart.com/313528/mascarpone-frosting

• 1 cup heavy cream

• 8 ounces mascarpone cheese, room temperature

• 1/2 cup confectioners' sugar, sifted

Directions

1. With an electric mixer on medium speed, whisk heavy cream until stiff peaks form (be careful not to overbeat, or cream will be grainy).

2. In another bowl, whisk together mascarpone and confectioners' sugar until smooth.

3. Gently fold whipped cream into mascarpone mixture until completely incorporated.

4. Frost your rolls!