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Top Chef Peabody’s Cinnamon Roll Cupcakes…

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These Cinnamon Roll Cupcakes with Cheesecake Frosting have a cinnamon roll filling base, cheesecake frosting, and mini cinnamon rolls on top.

Two cinnamon roll cupcakes with mini cinnamon rolls around them.

For years friends have said to me, you should be on Top Chef.

I would tell them no way, I don’t have the knife skills(and a whole other bunch of reasons).

And well, there’s never any dessert.

So of course, what comes along?

Top Chef: Just Desserts.

My friends hounded me like crazy to try out.

After seeing the cast, thank goodness I did not!

Not afraid of their skill, just plain afraid of them!

No seriously, I would lie awake at night probably hoping that my bunk mate wouldn’t try to smother me to death with buttercream frosting just for the fun of it.

But it got me thinking.

Along the lines of, Julie and Julia, I decided I will be doing each of the challenges that they are going to do on Top Chef Just Desserts.

Which is how I ended up with these Cinnamon Roll Cupcakes with Cheesecake Frosting topped with Mini Cinnamon Rolls.


The first quick fire challenge was to make your signature dessert.

I really have two.

Either my bread pudding or my cinnamon roll cheesecake.

In the middle of making the dessert they came in and told them to make it into cupcake form.

So that’s how I ended up with a cinnamon roll cupcake.

I would have totally failed, as this took way longer than the allotted time.

Yep, these are pretty much over the top fantastic.

Especially since I actually put a piece of cheesecake into the frosting.

Mmmm, cheesecake.

Then of course the little cinnamon roll on top just adds a little something extra.

Now for the bad news.

Yes I plan on making to the best of my ability each challenge.

But no I don’t plan on putting them all on here.

A couple of the recipes will be going on my Sweet Recipeas Facebook Page only.

So if you are not a fan of it yet, and you are curious to see what I am doing with the project, you might want to become a friend of Sweet Recipeas.

Last but not least…it’s a great time to order my cookbook. 😀

Close up photo of cinnamon roll cupcake.

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Cinnamon Roll Cupcakes with Cheesecake Frosting topped with Mini Cinnamon Rolls

Cinnamon Roll Cupcakes with Cheesecake Frosting topped with Mini Cinnamon Rolls

Ingredients

  • Cinnamon Roll Cupcakes:
  • 2 cups cake flour
  • 1 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1 TBSP baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
  • 2 cups granulated sugar
  • 5 large eggs
  • 2 tsp. vanilla extract
  • 1 1/4 cup buttermilk
  • Filling:
  • ½ cup brown sugar
  • 2 TBSP cinnamon
  • Cinnamon Sugar Coating:
  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • 2 TBSP cinnamon
  • Cheesecake Frosting
  • 12 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
  • 1 slice cheesecake, bottom removed, at room temperature
  • ¾ cup granulated sugar
  • 1 tsp. vanilla extract
  • 1 tsp. fresh lemon juice

Instructions

  1. For the Cupcakes:
  2. Preheat oven to 350°F .
  3. Butter two 12 cup muffin pans.
  4. Place a TBSP of cinnamon sugar coating in each cup and swirl around until the sides and bottom are covered in the coating. Set aside.
  5. In a medium bowl, sift together the flours, baking powder, and salt.
  6. Cut up the butter into 1-inch pieces and place them in the large bowl of an electric mixer, fitted with a paddle attachment or beaters.
  7. Beat for 3 minutes on MEDIUM-HIGH speed until the butter is light and creamy in color.
  8. Stop and scrape the bowl.
  9. Cream the butter for an additional 60 seconds.
  10. Add the sugar, 1/4 cup at a time, beating 1 minute after each addition.
  11. Scrape the sides of the bowl occasionally.
  12. Add the eggs one at a time.
  13. Reduce the mixer speed.
  14. Stir vanilla into the buttermilk.
  15. Add the dry ingredients alternately with the buttermilk.
  16. Mix just until incorporated.
  17. Scrape the sides of the bowl and mix for 15 seconds longer.
  18. Spoon batter a 1/3 of the way up the muffin cup.
  19. Place 1 tsp. of brown sugar filling inside.
  20. Spoon another 1/3 of the way up.
  21. Using a butter knife, swirl the filling around in the cupcakes.
  22. Center the pans onto the lower third of the oven and let bake 15-18 minutes or until the cake is light brown on top and comes away from the sides of the pan and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
  23. For the Frosting:
  24. Using a stand mixer with the paddle attachment (or a bowl and a mixer) beat the cream cheese and cheesecake on medium-high speed for 3 minutes.
  25. Add sugar, and beat another three minutes, until super smooth.
  26. Add vanilla and lemon juice and beat another 30 seconds.
  27. Chill in fridge for 20 minutes. Pipe or spread frosting onto cupcakes.
  28. For the Mini Cinnamon Rolls
  29. The Mini Cinnamon Rolls are just a smaller version of these cinnamon rolls, minus the frosting.
  30. If you choose to make them.
  31. I made a half batch, just bake up the bread for french toast or what not.
  32. They take about 16-18 minutes to bake up depending on the size.
  33. Mine were all about the size of quarter on steroids before I started, the of course grow bigger in the oven.
  34. You could also just use refrigerator rolls if you were in a hurry ( I won't tell anyone)
© Peabody

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Comments

  1. These are seriously amazing! I didn’t even know there was a top chef desserts. That is a luxury for food bloggers and cookbook authors, we don’t have to be fast or proficient, we just have to have good end results!

    Reply

  2. Those are so cute and I bet they taste delicious especially with all that cinnamon-sugar flavor. Great take on your signature dessert. I’m joining your Facebook page now so I can keep seeing what you come up with.

    Reply

  3. I totally love this idea! I actually plan on doing something similar with Project Food Blog if I don’t make it past the first few rounds. It just seems like a nice way to challenge myself.

    If they had given the chefs more time for their signature cupcakes you would have totally knocked their socks off with these babies. Gail would have been in cupcake heaven.

    Reply

  7. Not only do they look delicious but they are just so darn cute. I just love your creativity.

    I hear you about Top Chef Just Desserts and I’d be sleeping with one eye open if I were on the show. There are obviously some talented people and then there are the ones who were selected for the drama they bring.

    Reply

  11. Yum!I too, hear you on the Top Chef Just Desserts..I would be cutting off fingers & running into everything under those conditions! Love how you are making your own show on it! Very Creative!Enjoy!

    Reply

  13. Over the top awesome here. They look perfect and I know they taste even better. I would totally have loved to see you on that show. Your “I don’t put up with bullshit” attitude would have taught those immature people a thing or two. 🙂

    Reply

  15. Incredible.

    And there is NO ONE ELSE I’d rather put those extra pounds on my hips & arse than you, Gracie.

    (uhh.. just read through a bunch of posts and one of them addressed how you get hate mail from people who accuse YOU of fattening up their junk. so that’s what my comment is referencing.)

    (the “incredible” is referencing you. 🙂 xoxo)

    XOXOXOXOXOXO

    Reply

  29. You would have won the quickfire challenge with this recipe! But wouldn’t it be ghastly to have to put up with Seth? I actually had to get up and leave the room.

    Puhleeze.

    Reply

  31. Wow, this takes cupcakes to a whole new level. And I love it!!! Definitely adding these to my must-make list. You should totally be on Top Chef Just Desserts 🙂

    Reply

  35. After seeing you post that first pic to twitter I was waiting for when you’d get it up here, those look absolutely amazing!

    Also- how hilarious is Top Chef: Just Desserts? They went above and beyond to find the most absurd contestants for this one… and the tears, the tears!

    Reply

  36. Haha, I considered trying to play along with the show but I’m too lazy. I LOVE that you put actual cheesecake into the frosting. Not to mention the tiny cinnamon roll!

    Reply

  37. why, oh WHY, must you tempt me like this? top chef has never seen and will never see a person with your dessert-making prowess. 🙂

    Reply

  40. These cupcakes are so delicious! They came out nicer after I had refrigerated the dough. Made a difference for some reason.

    Reply

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