Cinnamon Squares - Cake or Quickbread???

Above: 7:30 am, Monday morning

Another one of Dorie Greenspan's Recipes from her book, Baking From My Home To Yours.

It was alright - I mean, who could go wrong with chocolate and cinnamon? But I've had other cinnamon bread/cake recipes where there's the cinnamon and sugar mixed in with cream cheese with a cream cheese frosting - and oh, those are SO good. So this is a bit different. I brought it to work for a thank you gift and it was gone by noon.

My suggestions:

Mix the sugar filling with cream cheese or 1/3 fat cream cheese. Mix with hand mixer until blended thoroughly. Then use as directed.

Cinnamon Squares

For the cake:
1 1/4 cups plus 2 tablespoons sugar
1 tbsp plus 2 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 1/2 tsp instand espresso powder
1 3/4 cups all purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
Pinch of salt
3/4 cup whole milk
2 large eggs
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 stick plus 2 tbsp butter, unsalted, melted & cooled
3 oz bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped or Mini chips

Frosting:
6 oz bittersweet chocolate
2 1/2 tbsp butter, cut into 4 pieces

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter or Pam (I used Pam with flour, and that stuff makes a difference!). Line the bottom with parchment paper (I skipped, no point when you're using Pam and don't have money to buy parchment paper anyway, right?).

To make the cake:

Stir 2 tbsp of sugar, 2 1/2 tsp of cinnamon and the espresso together in small bowl (this is where I recommend combining the cream cheese).

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, remaining sugar, baking powder, salt and remaining cinnamon. In another bowl, whisk together the milk, eggs and vanilla. Pour the liquid ingredients over the flour mixture and gently whisk until you have a homogeneous batter. Now, fold in the butter with a light touch just until absorbed. The butter will make it all shiny and fabulous.

Scrap half the batter into the 8 inch pan and smooth on top. Sprinkle the chocolate over the batter, then dust with the cinnamon & sugar mixture. Cover with the rest of the batter and smooth the top again.

Bake for 35 to 40 minutes (I recommend 38 minutes exactly in my gas oven) or until the cake is puffed and pulls away from the sides. Cool to room temperature.

For the frosting:

Make while cake is ALMOST all cooled. Melt the chocolate and butter together. Combine until shiny and frost cake. Cut into 9 squares. I actually let people cut their own cake squares. It worked well at work.




Above: After work at 5:15. I was hoping for at least one corner left. Oh well.
PSH