Deliciously Simple Fluffy Cinnamon Roll Dutch Baby in a Mug a la Mode + Coco Loco Drizzle
Deliciously Simple Fluffy Cinnamon Roll Dutch Baby in a Mug a la Mode + Coco Loco Drizzle
We’re excited for you and your kid chefs to whip up some fresh and cozy flavors with this sweet treat. What do you get when you pair one of the most well-known Swedish pastries with a lesser-known American invention inspired by a German pancake? This mug cake combines the flavors and texture of a cinnamon roll and a Dutch baby. A traditional Dutch baby looks like a giant popover. It’s not possible to make a true popover in the microwave—we tried—but the result is slightly custardy in the center, like a true Dutch Baby!
Happy & Healthy Cooking,
Fun-Da-Mentals Kitchen Skills
- measure :
to calculate the specific amount of an ingredient required using a measuring tool (like measuring cups or spoons).
- melt :
to heat a solid food so it becomes liquid, like butter or chocolate.
- microwave :
to heat or cook food or liquid quickly in a microwave oven, which uses high-frequency electromagnetic waves to generate heat in the food's water molecules.
- mix :
to thoroughly combine two or more ingredients until uniform in texture.
Equipment Checklist
- Microwave
- Microwave-safe mug
- Potholder
- Can opener
- Measuring spoons
- Metal spoon
- Paper towel or dish towel
- Small bowl
- Whisk
- Ice cream scoop
- Soap for cleaning hands
Ingredients
Deliciously Simple Fluffy Cinnamon Roll Dutch Baby in a Mug a la Mode + Coco Loco Drizzle
- 1 tsp butter **(for DAIRY ALLERGY sub dairy-free/nut-free butter, like Earth Balance, or nut-free oil, like olive or vegetable oil)**
- 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 2 T coconut cream **(for COCONUT ALLERGY sub heavy cream or full-fat plain or vanilla yogurt or dairy-free/nut-free yogurt)**
- 2 tsp sugar
- 2 tsp maple syrup
- 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract **(for GLUTEN ALLERGY use certified gluten-free pure vanilla extract, not imitation vanilla flavor—check label)**
- 3 T all-purpose flour **(for GLUTEN ALLERGY sub gluten-free/nut-free flour blend with xanthan gum)**
- 1/4 tsp baking powder
- 1 small scoop vanilla ice cream **(for DAIRY ALLERGY sub dairy-free/nut-free vanilla ice cream)**
- Drizzle:
- 1/2 tsp maple syrup or 1 pinch of sugar—kids' choice!
- 1 T room-temperature coconut cream **(for COCONUT ALLERGY sub heavy cream or full-fat plain or vanilla yogurt or dairy-free/nut-free yogurt)**
Food Allergen Substitutions
Deliciously Simple Fluffy Cinnamon Roll Dutch Baby in a Mug a la Mode + Coco Loco Drizzle
- Dairy: Substitute dairy-free/nut-free butter, like Earth Balance, or nut-free oil, like olive or vegetable oil. Substitute dairy-free/nut-free vanilla ice cream.
- Coconut: Sub heavy cream, full-fat yogurt, or dairy-free/nut-free yogurt for coconut cream.
- Gluten/Wheat: Substitute gluten-free flour blend with xanthan gum. Use certified gluten-free pure vanilla extract, not imitation vanilla flavor.
Instructions
Deliciously Simple Fluffy Cinnamon Roll Dutch Baby in a Mug a la Mode + Coco Loco Drizzle
add + melt + swirl
Add 1 teaspoon butter to your microwavable mug and microwave for 20 seconds or longer until melted. Use a potholder to remove the mug from the microwave and swirl to melt the butter fully.
measure + add + mix
Measure and add 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon, 2 tablespoons coconut cream, 2 teaspoons sugar, 2 teaspoons maple syrup, and 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract to the mug and mix with a metal spoon. Measure and add 3 tablespoons flour and 1/4 teaspoon baking powder and mix again until all traces of flour disappear.
cover + microwave
Cover the mug with a dish towel or damp paper towel and microwave for 1 minute. Let the mug cake rest while you make the Coco Loco Drizzle.
measure + whisk
Measure and whisk together 1 tablespoon coconut cream and 1/2 teaspoon maple syrup in a small bowl. Set aside until the cake is done.
microwave + top
Microwave cake for another 30 seconds. Let rest for 10 seconds before microwaving for a final 30 seconds. Carefully remove the mug with a potholder, then top the Cinnamon Roll Dutch Baby with a small scoop of ice cream and the Coco Loco Drizzle! "Smaklig måltid! (SMAHK-leeg MALT-id) or "Enjoy your meal" in Swedish!
Hi! I’m Cinnamon!
"Did you know that I'm a spice that comes from the inner bark of certain trees?! You can add me to both sweet and savory foods. Recipes generally call for ground cinnamon, but you can also use cinnamon sticks, dried strips of my bark that curl into a tube shape, to flavor apple cider, stews, curries, and more. Just don't forget to remove the stick before serving! And, what's more, I can make your kitchen and home smell wonderful!"
History
- Some people say the best kind of cinnamon, referred to as the "true cinnamon" and called Ceylon, is native to an island southeast of India called Sri Lanka. It has a more subtle flavor than other types. The most common cinnamon in use today, though, is derived from Cassia, which originated in China.
- Cinnamon is an ancient spice. It was imported to Egypt in about 2000 BCE. The ancient Egyptians used cinnamon together with myrrh to embalm the dead. They considered cinnamon to be more valuable than gold!
Anatomy & Etymology
- Cinnamon is the inner bark of some tree species of the genus Cinnamomum. Cinnamon trees can grow about 60 feet tall.
- Cinnamon farmers begin to harvest cinnamon when the tree reaches two years old. They cut the tree back so that shoots form from the stump. After one more year, the farmers strip the outer bark from the shoots and set the peels out to dry in the sun.
- When the bark dries, it curls into "quills," which are the sticks that are cut and sold as cinnamon sticks. They can also be ground into powdered cinnamon, which is how much of the cinnamon we see is sold in stores. So, what do a porcupine and a cinnamon tree have in common? They both grow quills!
- The word "cinnamon" comes from late Middle English derived from the Old French form, "cinnamome," from the Greek "kinnamon." The Greek was borrowed from a Phoenician word, which was similar to the related Hebrew word "qinnāmōn."
How to Pick, Buy, & Eat
- Cinnamon is harvested twice a year, immediately after the rainy season. The humidity in the air makes the bark peel more easily.
- The bark is typically peeled by hand by skilled peelers.
- The quality of cinnamon is judged by the thickness of the bark, the appearance of the quills (broken or whole), the aroma, and the flavor.
- Cinnamon is a spice used to add flavor to a variety of dishes. For example, it may be added to desserts, chocolate, toast (in cinnamon sugar), fruit (especially apples), roasted veggies, soups, tea, and hot cocoa. It's also good in savory dishes like Bavarian pot roast, Moroccan chicken, and Indian curry.
Nutrition
- It is best to eat cinnamon in small doses in its ground form, sprinkling it on top of food or adding a small teaspoon to food. Eating too much cinnamon could cause adverse health effects.
- Cinnamon has one of the most recognizable scents. Its pungent, spicy smell is due to the chemical called "cinnamaldehyde." This chemical is considered an antioxidant that has some anti-inflammatory and antibacterial properties.
- Cinnamon is believed to regulate the sugar in our blood and possibly lower cholesterol; however, study findings aren't clear.
- Cinnamon oil can keep mosquitoes away! It kills mosquito larvae and probably repels adult mosquitoes, too.
History of Dutch Baby Pancakes and Cinnamon Rolls!
- Despite its name, a Dutch Baby pancake is actually an American invention, possibly based on German apple pancakes, or "Apfelpfannkuchen."
- The story goes that these delicious pancakes were first served sometime before 1940 at Manca's café in Seattle, Washington and that their name was coined by one of the cafe owner's daughters. It is speculated that "Dutch" in "Dutch Baby" was a derivative of the German word for German, which is "Deutsch."
- A traditional Dutch baby is a pancake baked in a hot oven that puffs up from steam and then collapses in the middle so that the sides are puffed up, like a popover!
- Dutch babies typically contain no leavener like baking powder and, instead, rise because of added egg and steam. Dutch Babies are almost always served sweet and often simple, with just a squeeze of lemon and a dusting of powdered sugar.
- Cinnamon rolls, aka cinnamon bun, cinnamon swirl, cinnamon Danish, and cinnamon snail, are thought to have originated in Sweden!
- Swedish cinnamon rolls are less sweet than American ones and typically contain a hint of the spice cardamom. Roman spice traders introduced cinnamon and cardamom to Europe, where cooks and bakers started to incorporate these and other spices into their recipes.
- October 4 is National Cinnamon Roll Day in Sweden!
- Swedes often enjoy cinnamon rolls during "fika," which is what they call a relaxed coffee break with friends.
Let's Learn About Sweden!
- Sweden is a constitutional monarchy, and its official name is the Kingdom of Sweden.
- Stockholm, the capital of Sweden, encompasses 14 islands and more than 50 bridges. Half of Sweden is covered with forests, and it contains around 100,000 lakes and 24,000 islands.
- Sweden has one of the highest life expectancies in the world!
- Sweden has remained neutral in all wars since 1814, including World Wars I and II.
- Though Sweden is a member of the European Union, they use their own currency, the Swedish krona, rather than the euro.
- Sweden publishes every adult's yearly tax returns. This demonstrates the Swedish tradition of "jantelagen," or the "law of Jante," which is the belief that "no one is better than anyone else." Followed in Sweden and Norway, it is praised as a reason for harmony in society.
- Swedish blood donors get a thank you note when they donate blood and a text message when patients receive their blood!
- Ice hockey and football (soccer) are Sweden’s major sports.
- There are so many moose roaming around in forests in Sweden that they could form a very large city if they all gathered together!
- Sweden has one of the most sophisticated recycling systems in the world. They even import waste from Norway to recycle it.
- IKEA is a Swedish-founded company and has been the world’s largest furniture retailer since 2008.
- A common Swedish tradition is "fika" (fee-kuh), where Swedes enjoy a relaxed coffee break with friends. "Fika" is the word for the noun "coffee" and the verb "have coffee." The emphasis in the custom, though, is spending time with friends.
- Besides Kladdkaka, a popular Swedish chocolate cake, another well-known Swedish dish is Swedish meatballs, which is served with gravy, boiled potatoes, and lingonberry jam.
- Sweden is one of the biggest consumers of Mexican food in Europe!
- Swedish for, "It was delicious," is “Det var utsökt!” (DET-Var-OOT-Sik).
What's It Like to Be a Kid in Sweden?
- Swedish kids go to daycare (dagis), which feed into schools, so they often make at least one or two friends they will keep for the rest of their lives.
- At the end of February, schools have a week-long holiday across the country. It's called "sportlov" or "sports law," designed to engage families in sports during the winter.
- Kids get a second yearly celebration in addition to their birthdays. What do they celebrate? It's called "Namnsdag" or "Name Day." A Name Day calendar lists one or two names on almost every date, and a child might get cake and a present or money to celebrate their name day.
- Swedish kids love books by Astrid Lindgren, a Swedish author. You might have read some of them, too, since she wrote the Pippi Longstocking books.
- On most Fridays, families stay home together to watch TV or movies and eat food that's easy to prepare, like tacos, pizza, chips, and other snack foods. Swedes call this "fredagsmys," which means "Friday coziness."
Lettuce Joke Around
Why don't coconuts have money?
Because people milk them dry.
THYME for a Laugh
I named my dog Cinnamon!
He's a lot of bark!
Lettuce Joke Around
I love synonym rolls!
Just like Grammar used to make!
That's Berry Funny
Where do intergalactic coconuts grab a drink?
At the Milky Way!
The Yolk's On You
What did one coconut say to the other?
"Got milk?"
Lettuce Joke Around
What do you call a cinnamon bun that does well in school?
An honor roll!
