Cinnamon Roll Coffee Cake (Soy, Nut and Fish-Free, Can Be Milk, Egg and Wheat-Free)

I know it has been a LONG time since I've posted anything, and for that I sincerely apologize.  There's been a lot going on over the last year, so my blogs have taken a bit of a backseat for a bit.  I have been working on them - just not posting much.  I am putting a plan into works, though, that will make posting at least once a month possible. :) Hopefully it will work out as I hope it will!  Thank you to all of you who have stuck by me and continue to visit this site even though there's been a stunning lack of new material.  You all are the best! :)

Now onto the recipe that I've been dying to share for a LONG time now... 

Cinnamon Roll Coffee Cake!

 

This recipe is an adaption of the one found here by Chef In Training.  It is SO good!  Gooey, sweet - the perfect cross between a coffee cake and cinnamon rolls.  So much easier than cinnamon rolls, too.  It is great for the days you want cinnamon rolls but lack the time.  This recipe is also soy-free (if you use all soy-free ingredients), nut and fish-free, and can be milk, egg and wheat-free (see variations).  I hope you enjoy it!

Cinnamon Roll Coffee Cake 

Cake portion:

3 Cups soy-free flour (unbleached white or white whole wheat work great)

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 Cup white sugar

4 teaspoons baking powder

1 1/2 Cups milk

2 eggs

1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1/2 Cup full-fat, salted butter, melted

Topping/Filling portion: 

1 Cup full-fat, salted butter, softened 

1/2 Cup brown sugar, packed

1/2 Cup white sugar

2 Tablespoons soy-free flour (unbleached white or white whole wheat work great)

1/2 to 1 Tablespoon cinnamon

pinch of salt (no more than 1/8 teaspoon) (optional)

Glaze portion:  

2 Cups powdered sugar

5 Tablespoons milk

1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla

pinch of salt (no more than 1/8 teaspoon) (optional)

1.  Preheat oven to 350^oF.
     
2. Grease a 9x13 glass baking pan with butter and set aside.
      
3. In a large bowl, mix all ingredients from the cake portion except melted butter until well combined, then mix in the melted butter until well combined and pour cake portion into the prepared 9x13 glass baking pan.
     
4. In another large bowl, combine all ingredients for the topping/filling portion until well combined and creamy.  (Note: The salt in this portion is optional.  I like adding it to make the sweetness pop, but some think it's overkill, so follow your personal preference here.  Also, the amount of cinnamon is based on personal preference.  I preferred it with the 1/2 Tablespoon cinnamon, but if you love a lot of cinnamon flavor, you may want to use the full Tablespoon.)
     
5. Drop the topping/filling portion evenly over the cake portion by tablespoonfuls, and then use a knife to swirl the topping/filling portion through the cake portion.  It should look marbled when you are finished.
     
6. Bake in preheated oven for 35 to 40 minutes or until a toothpick or cake tester inserted near the center comes out nearly clean. (Note: The toothpick/cake tester will never come out completely clean due to the nature of this particular cake, and you wouldn't want it to as your cake would be completely overcooked at that point.  You are looking for the parts of the cake that don't have the topping/filling swirled into it to be done - it should look like baked cake, not like cake batter.  If it looks like that and the toothpick/cake tester are coming out nearly clean, you're good to go!)
     
7. While the cake is baking, mix all the ingredients for the glaze portion in a medium bowl with a whisk until well combined. (Note: The salt in this portion is also optional.  I like adding it to make the sweetness pop, but some think it's overkill, so follow your personal preference here.)
     
8. When the cake it done, immediately drizzle the glaze over top of the cake. (Note: Pouring the glaze over top of the hot cake causes the glaze to melt into the cake and adds to it's gooey texture.  If you don't wish it to be quite that gooey, wait to add the glaze until the cake has cooled to just warm instead - about 10 minutes.)

Enjoy this cake warm or at room temperature for best results.  One recipe makes 12 generous portions or up to 24 small servings.

Variations (Please keep your individual dietary needs in mind when using variations):

• Milk-Free: Use non-dairy milk and non-dairy butter of your choice in place of the milk and butter in this recipe.  I do not recommend using oil for the butter unless you wanted to use coconut oil, though.  A solid fat is needed, so you could even use lard if you choose in place of the butter.
    
• Egg-Free: Use an egg replacer in place of the eggs.  For ideas on what to use in place of the eggs, check out my ingredient substitutions page, though I wouldn't suggest using the applesauce, banana or pumpkin substitution unless you want that flavor in your cake.
   
• Wheat-Free: Use a gluten-free baking mix in place of the flour.  I recommend using either King Arthur Flour's Gluten Free Baking Mix or Krusteaz Gluten Free Flour.  Both can replace the flour at a 1:1 ratio (i.e. 1 Cup mix = 1 Cup flour), and taste great!  You can also use another gluten-free flour of your choice, but note that you may have to add up to 3 teaspoons of xanthan gum or ground flax seed to the recipe for textural purposes.

 

Looks delish, right?  It is, I promise! :)

(This recipe was originally posted on my original site, Natural and Free.)

Monthly Milestones 2015 {12}

Today will be the twelfth and last Monthly Milestones for 2015.  If you want to share a milestone post, just leave a comment below with a link to your milestone post, and I'll pop over and visit it and leave a comment, and hopefully some of my other readers will, too. :)  Normally, Monthly Milestones, where I will be giving you updates on how I am doing physically, mentally, etc., goes live on the first Saturday of every month.  I'm a day late this month because I wasn't home at all yesterday.

Just an FYI, I plan on keeping Monthly Milestones alive for 2016, but I will not be making it a link-up again at this time.  I do hope you stick with me next year as you have this year, though. :)

Here is how I am doing as of today:

Me as of today, December 6, 2015, at 226 lbs. (Thanks again to my son, Stephen, for being my photographer!)



1. My weight went up a little!  I had hoped that my weight would be down again this month, but it's not. :( I'm up 1/2 pound from last month.  I'll keep plugging away at it, though, and hopefully I will ring in the new year with a weight loss.
     
2. November was full of illness!   We've been dealing with a lot of crud in the house over the last 3 weeks especially.  We've had an ER visit with my youngest due to an asthma attack that resulted from hyperventilating due to the Croup, we've had lots of hoarseness, coughing and congestion, some fevers and overall miserableness.  My oldest  now has the ickies, and I'm dealing with it, too, on a milder scale.  So far we've avoid sinus infections or bronchitis/pneumonia, so we're hoping that we continue to avoid those things.  This particular bug seems to hold on for weeks, so even when you're over the worst of it, it's still not gone completely.    I've been cleaning/disinfecting like a mad woman, and I'm definitely looking forward to it being gone (hopefully) soon!
     
3. We're still plugging away with our new lifestyle choices.  It's been a milder start to the winter season (yes, I know it's not officially winter, but I consider winter starting on December 1st), but we've had lots of cold wind and rain (and illness as I mentioned above), so I've not been able to walk as much as I'd like.  However, I'm hoping to be able to get out a little more this next week as I feel able and as the weather permits.
   
   The holidays make it a little rougher to eat right, but I'm finding that "cheating" on a dietary change is always a bad thing.  The more gluten-free I eat, the better I feel, so I'm working a lot more diligently at that.  We found out the hard way that my middle and youngest kiddos must not eat gluten.  They got very hyper, lots of focus issues, had a lot of trouble sleeping, and a few other issues for a few days after they got a smaller amount of gluten, so it's a no-go for them, period.  Even my hubby and oldest feel better when we avoid gluten as a whole, so we'll be gluten-free as a family eventually, I'm sure.
      
4. My body is still fighting me off and on.  My newest random symptom has been dizziness/lightheaded-ness.  With the illness in the house, I'm not sure what is related to what.  I've also had some joint pain and weakness issues, especially in my hands.  This gets worse with a cold environment and has always been this way, so I'm assuming it's just the season at this time.  I am thinking at this point that my symptoms (weakness, pain, dizziness) are manageable for now, so I'm just keeping notes and planning to talk with my doctor about them when I see him at my next check up.  I may have to schedule it earlier than next summer, but we'll see. :) I definitely want to see if these symptoms continue past when I get over this illness and into the next few weeks.  I don't want to go in without anything consistent as I don't want things brushed off as "just Fibro".  Some of you will know exactly what I mean by that. :)  Anyway, prayers appreciated as we make decisions on if and when to see my doctor about these fluctuating symptoms.  Thanks!
   
   
5. Blog updates are still coming along!  Due to illness, updates on this blog and Natural and Free are going slower, but they are still coming along.   I'm hoping to post new recipes/info on my other blog by this weekend.  We'll see how I'm feeling and how much free time I actually get.  You don't get much when you're not feeling well, schooling at home, and playing nurse. :)
      
6. Overall progress this year: down 3 and 1/2 pounds!
    
   
   
   
           It's not much, but I'll take it! :)  It's been a rough year for me illness-wise, family health-wise, pain-wise, etc.  It took me awhile to start losing, and now that I've started, I'd like to continue.  I know my weight was up 1/2 lb. this month, but that's really trivial, and I think I can start losing again for next month. :)  Here's hoping, anyway!

That's about it for now.  How are you doing?  Are you reaching your goals?  Have you tried something new?  Come up with a new recipe?  I hope all is going well with you, and I hope you will leave a comment sharing your thoughts and/or milestones (with a link to your post, if you wish).  As always, I wish you the best of luck in all you do, and hope you will return soon! :)

(This post was originally posted on my original site, Fibro, Fit and Fab!)