birthday cake batter cinnamon rolls

I always spend a lot of time thinking about how I can make birthdays special, and it gets tougher and tougher every year.  And, of course, I tend to spend a lot of that time thinking about the food.

Birthdays kick off with breakfast.  These sweet babies are infused with cake batter flavor and rainbow sprinkles throughout for a birthday spin on a breakfast favorite.

My last birthday was kinda one for the record books.

Okay, not kinda.

I was on the beach.  Enjoying champagne and passed appetizers.  Watching the sun go down.  Surrounded by closest family and friends.  Listening to a most dear toast from my barely still then-fiancé.

And then The Stallion's best friend pissed in a trash can not 50 feet from the party.

We blame it on the mama juana.

It's okay.  Not everything can be perfect.  Plus, it's pretty hilarious.

Had we not been in the Dominican Republic, me with only a few days remaining until I would be wearing my wedding dress, I would have definitely wished one of these decadent rolls for a birthday wakeup.

Birthday Cake Batter Cinnamon Rolls
Makes 1 dozen mega rolls, or 2 dozen regular rolls
Dough recipe adapted from Two Peas & Their Pod

Ingredients:

For the dough:
2 pkg yeast, dissolved in 1 cup lukewarm water
6 T shortening
1 cup + 1 t sugar
3/4 cup yellow cake mix
7 cups unbleached all purpose flour or more as needed (it will take more)
2 cups hot water

2 eggs, beaten
1 T salt

For the filling:
Softened butter (approx. 2 sticks)
Brown sugar
Yellow Cake mix
Cinnamon
Rainbow sprinkles


For the icing:
2 T butter, melted
1/2 cup Yellow Cake mix
1 t vanilla extract
Powdered Sugar
Milk

1. Add yeast to cup of lukewarm water and sprinkle in the teaspoon of sugar. Set aside for about five minutes.
2. Add shortening, cup of sugar, and salt to hot water in a large bowl or that of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment.  Allow mixture to cool to lukewarm. 
3. Add 2 cups of flour and mix until smooth. 
4. Add yeast and mix again until smooth.
5. Add in beaten eggs.
6. Stir in remainder of flour, a little at a time until no more can be mixed in. Remove the mixer attachment and knead by hand, adding flour until dough does not stick to the bowl (while I did not keep count of total flour used, it was about 3/4 of a 5 lb. bag). Remove from bowl and knead until dough feels satiny and looks smooth.  It shouldn't be sticking to your countertop at this point, and not need any more flour.
7. Cover and let rise for at least 30 minutes. 
8. Lightly knead and roll out into a long, rectangular shape.  The skinnier your rectangle, the smaller your rolls, as it will take less turns to roll up all of the dough.  The wider the rectangle, the bigger the rolls. 
9. Spread with softened butter, then sprinkle generously with brown sugar, cake mix, cinnamon, and sprinkles. 
10. To roll, start with the long end closest to you and roll away, keeping the dough rolled as tightly as possible.  Pinch along the end to seal.
11. To cut into rolls, use dental floss as opposed to a knife.  Wrap the floss around the long roll, about 1.5 inches from the end, cross the ends at the top, and pull the ends away from each other until the floss cuts through the dough.
12. Place on well greased pans, cover with a clean dish towel, and let rise in a warm place until doubled in size (or overnight, wrapped with plastic wrap, in the refrigerator). 
13. Bake at 425 degrees for 10 minutes. Reduce heat to 350 degrees and bake until golden, about 5-7 more minutes, depending on size.
14. While the rolls are baking, make the icing.  Whisk together all ingredients, adjusting milk and powdered sugar amounts to achieve desired consistency.
15. Let cool before frosting to allow for a thick cover like those pictured, or frost while warm for a light glaze.