a simple recipe :: hummingbird cinnamon rolls

I am a lover of carbs. Let’s just get that out there in the open, ok?! A few years ago, I came across a recipe for Hummingbird Cake. I’m not sure where it got it’s unusual name, but it’s a decadent, banana bread on steroids cake recipe that is popular in the South. I’ve been making it for the last couple years and the blend of pineapple, banana, and pecan flavors create a unique twist on traditional banana bread disguised as cake.

While I love Hummingbird Cake, I also have a thing for homemade cinnamon rolls! The last time I made the cake I was also working on cinnamon rolls for a Saturday brunch. I ended up with extra cake frosting and had an Ah-ha moment! Instead of making separate frosting for the cinnamon rolls, I married the cake and the cinnamon roll recipes into a pan of gooey, carb-loving amazingness… and the best part? The dough can be made in a bread machine with very little thought or effort! I purchased my like-new bread machine from a thrift store about a year ago and it really is an easy to use, time-saving kitchen appliance great for bakery-like treats. (Get yo-self one!!) The frosting has just a hint of pineapple juice mixed in to the cream cheese, and it seriously adds a new dimension to normal cinnamon rolls.

Invite some of your people over for breakfast…you’re going to want to share these!

Hummingbird Rolls
For the dough:

• 1 cup warm milk (110 Degrees Fahrenheit)
• 2 eggs
• 1/3 Cup butter, melted
• 4 1/2 cups flour
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1/2 cup cane sugar
• 2 1/2 tsp. yeast

Place dough ingredients in the pan of the bread machine in the order recommended by the manufacturer (you can find an online guide easily-for me it’s dry ingredients first). Choose the dough cycle and press start.

Do your hair…break up a toddler fight…switch laundry. Because the hard work is being done for you!

Once the machine has cycled through, roll the dough out into a large rectangle. Coat the dough with a couple tablespoons of softened butter (I didn’t say these were low-cal, did I?!) and sprinkle with a mixture of brown sugar and cinnamon. Just kind of eyeball the filling…covering the dough in a consistent layer of butter and sugar. You can also add chopped pecans at this step. Then roll the dough up the long way and slice into 12 rolls. (The thicker you slice, the larger the rolls will be.)

Place rolls in a lightly greased 9×13 inch baking pan (or a bigger pan if needed. I love to use my baking stone for these!). Be sure to space the rolls out in your pan so they don’t touch. I usually let them rise for at least 30 minutes as the longer they rise the larger they will be. Bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for about 20 minutes. While they bake, you can make the frosting:

• 1 stick butter, softened
• 1 cup powdered sugar
• 1 block cream cheese, softened
• 1-2 Tbsp. pineapple juice
• 1 tsp. pure vanilla extract

Cream together the frosting ingredients until smooth. Frost over the warm cinnamon rolls and cue the angelic voices 😉 You can sprinkle with chopped pecans if you prefer, but the pineapple juice is the secret ingredient to kicking these cinnamon rolls up a notch.

It seems like a lot of steps, but I PROMISE letting your bread machine do the dough work makes the otherwise time consuming task of making homemade cinnamon rolls super simple! You’ll be impressed with how easy, fast, and delicious they are! What have YOU used a bread machine for to simplify baking in your life?