I have a very simple and basic ritual every morning. I wake up, turn on the music, open the curtains and do nothing but breathe in bed, and just think. Think about the day, pick up thoughts I had the previous day and explore them further. I drink the first cup of coffee in bed and savour every sip. The second cup is spent with the laptop or phone – these moments are precious and sets the tone for the rest of my day. I tend to achieve at least one big thing off my to-do list by 8 am. If I haven’t, I am assured the day won’t be a very fruitful one – and those are the days you stay far away from me.
Now you understand the crucial-ness of the second cup of coffee. What helps, is a bit of a sugary treat along with it. Since there’s generally a baked treat in the house, a piece or two of that accompanies it. But on this one particular morning, nothing seemed to cut it. The house was craving cinnamon rolls, and Vini and I had made them a couple of times over the month – and my mind kept drifting there. The espresso glaze also kept coming to mind, that went with the Oatmeal Cake, and I started to wonder how to merge the two successfully. You see, these are what my mornings are like!
So I created these rolls, which are instant, because at times, life is about instant – and has coffee in the dough, along with in the filling, and in the lovely glaze as well. The cinnamon is not as strong here, but still has the stronghold on the breakfast table. They are light and fluffy – the dough may seem delicate, but fret not. Vini claimed that she could easily eat three in one sitting without feeling heavy – hence, instant is gratifying here!
Have these with a cup of coffee in the morning, and I assure you, the tone will be set for the day beautifully.
The Recipe
Serves 12 buns | total time: 45 mins
Ingredients
- Buns:
- 1 ½ cups flour
- 1 tbsp castor sugar
- 1 tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp baking soda
- ½ tsp salt
- 2/3 cup milk
- ¼ cup melted butter
- 1 tbsp instant coffee powder
- 2 tsp apple cider vinegar
- Filling:
- ¼ cup melted butter
- ½ cup brown sugar
- 2 tbsp castor sugar
- 1 tbsp cinnamon powder
- 1 tbsp instant coffee
- Glaze:
- ½ - ¾ cup icing sugar
- 1 – 2 tbsp espresso
- oil for greasing
- flour for dusting
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 180C
- Grease a round or square 9” cake tin
- Start with the filling – whisk the sugars, cinnamon and instant coffee together and set aside
- Whisk the dry ingredients in a separate bowl and set aside
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk the milk, melted butter and apple cider vinegar together
- Then add the dry ingredients and combine with a fork until a dough forms
- In a clean dry surface, dust flour out and tip over the dough
- Gently with your fingers and palms, flatten out to a large rectangle
- Spread ¼ cup melted butter all over
- Sprinkle the filling mix equally over
- Start rolling from one end, slowly and tightly, until the end and gently pinch the ends
- Cut into equal 12-14 pieces
- Gently place, face up onto the greased pan
- Bake for 18-22 minutes
- Remove from oven and allow to cool down a bit before pouring glaze over
- Glaze:
- Whisk all together until dripping consistency
- Pour over the slightly cooled rolls
- Storage: in air tight container, room temperature
