I am back from my US book tour and am in that place where I am very happy to be home, exhausted from all the travel, but also kind of wishing I was still on the road. Firstly, I cannot tell you how amazing it was to spend the last three weeks flying around the states and doing a whole bunch of events in celebration of my new book Small Batch Bakes. We had a launch party at Ovenly in NYC, events at Williams Sonoma stores in Minneapolis and LA, and book store events in Seattle, SF and LA. The absolute best part was meeting so many of you along the way. I cant tell you how amazing it is to hear your stories of baking, the recipes of mine you my make and how they’ve become regulars in your kitchen. It still blows my mind that my baking reaches all that way and that it gives you the same pleasure it gives me. If you want to see more behind the scenes moments from the tour and, more importantly, read all about the bakeries I visited whilst on the tour make sure you are subscribed to my Substack newsletter. The newsletter has tons of free content and will also be home to lots of exclusive content and recipes just for paid subscribers.
Now that I am back in London it is, of course, pouring down with rain and cold so I was in the mood for a delicious cinnamon bun, something warming to counteract the miserable weather. But after the tour, making something yeasted that involves kneading sounds like far too much work. Instead let’s make the Cinnamon Bun Slices from Small Batch Bakes, a super simple recipe that gives you all the warming toasty goodness of a homemade cinnamon bun but without any of the work. Made with a simple cake, made with melted butter for speed, it is swirled with cinnamon butter which sinks and melts into the cake as it bakes. The cake is finished with a simple vanilla bean glaze that sets as it cools giving the same effect as a glazed doughnut. It is the perfect cake to whip up when a craving hits and perfectly paired with a big mug of coffee. It’s a teensy little cake which makes just 4-6 slices depending how hungry you are which means if your staying inside to avoid the rain nothing has to go to waste. If you like the idea of Small Batch Bakes you can get a copy of the book anywhere books are sold. If you’re in the US the following places also have limited amounts of signed copies, which can be shipped anywhere in the US:
Book Larder - Seattle
Omnivore Books - San Fransisco
Now Serving - LA
The following Williams Sonoma stores have copies available exclusively in store
Williams Sonoma - LA Farmers Market
Williams Sonoma - Edina, Minnesotta
Cinnamon Bun Slices - Small Batch Bakes
Cinnamon Butter
25g unsalted butter, at room temperature
25g light brown sugar
2 tsp ground cinnamon
Pinch of fine sea salt
Cake Batter
50g unsalted butter, diced, plus extra for greasing
100g caster sugar
1 large egg
65ml double cream
¼ tsp vanilla bean paste
100g plain flour
¾ tsp baking powder
Pinch of fine sea salt
Vanilla Glaze
50g icing sugar, sifted
1 tbsp whole milk
¼ tsp vanilla bean paste
Preheat the oven to 180º (160ºC Fan) 350ºF, Gas Mark 4.
Lightly grease a 23 x 13cm loaf tin and line with a strip of parchment paper that overhangs the long sides, securing it in place with metal clips.
First, make the cinnamon butter: place all the ingredients for it in a bowl and beat together until a very soft paste forms. Set aside.
To make the cake, melt the diced butter in a small pan over a medium heat, then set aside. Place the sugar, egg, cream and vanilla in a bowl and whisk together until smooth and combined. Add the flour, baking powder and salt and whisk again, just until a smooth batter forms.
Pour in the melted butter and stir gently with the whisk, just until fully combined. Scrape the batter into the prepared tin and spread evenly.
Spoon little dollops of the cinnamon butter over the batter, then use a skewer or chopstick to gently swirl them in. Bake for about 25 minutes, or until the cake springs back to a light touch and is just starting to come away from the sides of the tin. Turn off the oven and set the cake aside for 15 minutes, before carefully transferring to a wire rack to cool.
When the cake is cool, reheat the oven to 180º (160ºC Fan) 350ºF, Gas Mark 4. Combine the glaze ingredients in a bowl and mix together until smooth and pourable. Drizzle the glaze all over the cake, then return it to the oven for a couple of minutes, or until the glaze is set. (this step is optional, the glaze will eventually set at room temp but for that classic doughnut style glaze the heat helps)
Serve thin slices of the cake alongside big mugs of coffee. Once sliced, it is best eaten that day, but the slices can also be frozen for up to a month.