Tahini Orange Cinnamon Rolls with Browned Butter Cream Cheese Frosting

These warm, buttery cinnamon rolls are filled with cinnamon sugar, tahini, and a bit of orange zest. They are topped with an addictive browned butter and cream cheese frosting.

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I am truly, truly soaking up every moment of fall this year. For the first time in a long time, I’m baking cinnamon rolls and drinking apple cider and around me, the leaves are actually changing and the temperature is dropping! In sunny, sweet Florida, fall baking was done from my 90° kitchen, no matter the month, and trees stayed green and palm-y all year long. (I’m not complaining though, because the beach was always close by….just soaking up this new climate while I have it).

In my mind, the number one fall baking project is cinnamon rolls. I have a few different sweet roll type recipes on the blog, but this is the first true and classic cinnamon roll and it is a very good one. They are fairly straightforward and traditional, but you guys know me, so they do have a little tahini mixed into the filling and some orange zest brightens things up. They are finished with a browned butter cream cheese frosting that is one of the best I’ve ever eaten and I wouldn’t judge you one bit for doubling the recipe and keeping some in the fridge for frosting emergencies. You never know.

So let’s dive in!

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homemade cinnamon roll dough

This recipe, like a lot most cinnamon roll recipes is made with an enriched, brioche-like sweet dough. Enriched doughs are yeasted doughs that include some sort of combination of eggs, butter, milk, and sugar. A brioche is one that has a very high concentration of eggs and butter and often incorporates milk. It’s exceptionally soft and buttery, but can sometimes be a bit tricky to work with. A sweet dough is basically the same as a brioche dough, but has a lower amounts of butter, eggs, and sugar, and sometimes doesn’t include milk. (If all of this interests you like it does me, Erin McDowell has a great breakdown of enriched doughs that you can read here.)

This dough recipe falls somewhere in the middle of the the brioche-sweet dough spectrum. It doesn’t have quite as much butter as some of my other brioche recipes (like this Cinnamon Swirl Brioche and this Chocolate Tahini Brioche Babka), but it does incorporate buttermilk and decent amount of eggs. It’s also made in a brioche-style of mixing.

Yeast and buttermilk start us off. Then dry ingredients and eggs get added and kneaded into a shaggy dough, before softened butter is added cube by cube. Using a stand mixer is pretty important here since brioche undergoes a pretty extensive kneading process (made a bit stickier by all of the butter). Because this dough is enriched, all of those additions like sugar, eggs, milk, and butter get in the way of gluten formation. This means that it’s going to take a bit longer for sufficient gluten formation to form—a stand mixer makes this so much easier!

chilling the dough

I will forever preach cold-proofing. Cold proofing is simply allowing your dough to complete a long rise in the fridge in order for flavor to fully develop. It’s something that bakers and pastry chefs always do that is often skipped over in home-baking style recipes and I think it makes a really big difference in your final product. If are absolutely pinched for time, you can skip the overnight cold proof (see the recipe notes), but I highly recommend you don’t. The difference is a cinnamon roll where flavor comes from the dough, the filling and the frosting as opposed to one where the filling and frosting takes spotlight and the dough is just a cinnamon-sugar vessel. Try it once for yourself and taste the difference!

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filling and frosting

The rest of this cinnamon roll recipe is familiar. The dough is rolled out and filled with a cinnamon, butter, tahini, spice mixture. It is rolled and shaped into a tight log and cute little swirls are sliced, proofed, and baked.

The frosting is a real show-stopper. Brown some butter, chill it, and then beat it into a classic cream cheese frosting. Swoop it all on top of warm cinnamon rolls so that oozes down into the crevices and then eat them immediately with lots of coffee and soak up all that autumnal goodness.

Tahini Orange Cinnamon Rolls with Browned Butter Cream Cheese Frosting
Yield
12
Author
Prep time
30 Min
Cook time
35 Min
Inactive time
12 Hour
Total time
13 H & 4 M

Tahini Orange Cinnamon Rolls with Browned Butter Cream Cheese Frosting

These warm, buttery cinnamon rolls are filled with cinnamon sugar, tahini, and a bit of orange zest. They are topped with an addictive browned butter and cream cheese frosting.

Ingredients

for the dough
  • 70 g (1/3 cup) buttermilk
  • 2 tsp active dry yeast
  • 345 g (2 3/4 cup) all purpose flour
  • 40 g (2 tbsp + 1 tsp) granulated sugar
  • 1/4 tsp kosher salt
  • Zest of one orange
  • 2 eggs
  • 113 g (1/2 cup) unsalted butter, softened
for the filling
  • 4 tbsp unsalted butter, softened
  • 10 g tahini
  • 1/2 cup brown sugar
  • 1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
  • 1 1/2 tsp cardamom
  • Zest of one orange
  • Pinch of salt
for the frosting
  • 113 g (1/2 cup) unsalted butter
  • 8 oz cream cheese, softened
  • 1 1/2-2 cups powdered sugar*
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • Pinch of salt

Instructions

to make the dough
  1. Heat buttermilk until warm to the touch. Combine warmed milk and yeast in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook. Let proof for about 5 minutes, until foamy, while you prepare the rest of the ingredients.
  2. In a medium bowl, combine all purpose flour salt, and sugar. Set aside.
  3. Lightly beat eggs and then add them to the mixer with the milk and yeast. Stir with a rubber spatula to gently combine.
  4. Add the dry ingredients to the liquid and begin mixing, starting on low speed and gradually increasing speed, for 2-3 minutes, until a thick dough begins to form.
  5. With the mixer running on medium-low speed, add the softened butter, one tablespoon at a time, until incorporated. Once all of the butter has been added, increase the mixer speed to medium-high and knead for 6-7 minutes, until a smooth, elastic dough has formed. Turn the dough onto a work surface and knead by hand for another minute and then shape the dough into a ball. Place the dough ball into a greased bowl, cover, and let proof at room temperature for 1 1/2 hours, until swollen and almost doubled in size.
  6. After the dough has completed its first proof, punch it down and cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap. Transfer to the refrigerator and chill overnight, or approximately 12 hours*.
to make the filling
  1. Stir together all filling ingredients to form a smooth paste.
filling, shaping, and the final proof
  1. Remove the dough from the refrigerator and let rest at room temperature for 30 minutes.
  2. Turn it out onto a lightly floured work surface and roll out into a large rectangle, approximately 1/4” thick and about 16”x20”.
  3. Dollop the filling over the dough and use an offset spatula to spread it into an even layer, reaching all the way to the edges of the dough.
  4. Starting from one of the long edges, tightly roll the dough into a log. Use a serrated knife to slice the log into 12 equal pieces. Places rolls cut side down in a 9x13” baking dish. Cover and let proof again for 1-1/2 to 2 hours, until rolls are puffy.
  5. Bake at 350° F for 30-35 minutes, until deeply golden. Let cool slightly and then frost while warm.
to make the frosting
  1. Place butter in a small saucepan and cook over medium heat for 6-7 minutes, until nutty and fragrant and little brown bits appear at the bottom of the pot.
  2. Transfer browned butter to the fridge and let cool completely.
  3. Place cooled browned butter and softened cream cheese in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Beat until smooth and well combined.
  4. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and add the vanilla, salt, and powdered sugar. Continue mixing for 1-2 minutes, until light and fluffy.
  5. Spread over warm cinnamon rolls and serve!

Notes:

  • If you are pressed for time, you can skip the overnight rest in the fridge and substitute it with a 30 minute chill. Completing a long cold proof helps flavor develop in enriched doughs like this one, so I HIGHLY recommend that you work it in, if possible, but it can be skipped if needed.
  • The sweetness of a frosting is highly subjective, so I recommend starting with a lower measurement of powdered sugar, tasting as you go, and adding more bit by bit until you reach your ideal sweetness level. If at any point, the frosting gets too thick, you can loosen it with a teaspoon or two of heavy cream or milk.
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Browned Butter and Cardamom Zucchini Bread

Looking for ways to use up your summer zucchini? This quick and easy, ultra-moist zucchini bread recipe is for you! A simple recipe for the best zucchini bread, filled with warming spices, browned butter, and topped with mascarpone whipped cream.

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Is there anything that screams late summer more than zucchini bread? If you’re anything like me, by the time school is starting, you are finding yourself with a bounty of zucchini and squash, while simultaneously running out of any new ideas as to what to do with it. (Although, I recently stumbled upon a recipe for zucchini butter from Andrea Bemis’ new cookbook that I am looking forward to trying out).

One of you actually requested a zucchini bread recipe earlier this summer and my wheels have been turning for the last few months. This really beautiful zucchini bread is a compilation of a traditional, no frills style quick bread and a much-more extravagant zucchini cake we made the first week of culinary school. The result is a dense, moist loaf cake, stuffed with shredded summer zucchini, nutty browned butter and warming spices, topped with a light mascarpone whipped cream.

how to make zucchini bread

Zucchini bread, like pumpkin and banana bread, falls into the quick bread category of baked goods. I assume we call them ‘breads’ because they are often baked loaf-style, but really, let’s not kid ourselves, they are cakes. Easy, simple cakes! Quick breads are often known for their density (think of those thick, hefty slices of banana bread in coffee shop displays), which can be attributed to a liquid fat, like oil or melted butter.

Pretty much all quick breads follow the same technique: mix together your wet ingredients, mix together your dry ingredients, add dry to the wet and stir to combine. It’s so simple. No creaming butter or whipping egg whites. You don’t need a mixer or any fancy equipment. Quick breads are low maintenance and high-reward.

For this recipe, we follow that same formula, using browned butter as our liquid fat. The slightly cooled butter is whisked with tahini, eggs, orange zest, sugar, and vanilla before the shredded zucchini gets folded in. Then dry ingredients (flour, leavening agents, and spices) are folded in and the whole thing is baked and it’s a work of art.

Quick tip for you: If you are frosting the bread, wait until it is COMPLETELY cooled. (I tried to rush this little photoshoot and learned my lesson on this one.) If you want to enjoy your zucchini bread slightly warm, skip the whipped cream and just plop a pat of butter or a swoop of mascarpone on a slice. It will be just as perfect and far less melty.

ideas for zucchini bread variation:

You know that I’m all about making your baking your own so here are some ideas for flavor variation that you can play around with!

  • Lime + Coconut Zucchini Bread: Sub the orange zest for lime zest and use melted coconut oil in place of the browned butter. Fold some shredded coconut into the batter and sprinkle some on top before baking.

  • Lemon + Ginger Zucchini Bread: Sub the orange zest for lemon zest and add grated fresh ginger to the batter. Replace the browned butter with a good, fruity olive oil.

  • Chocolate + Peanut Butter Zucchini Bread: Replace the tahini with peanut butter and add chocolate chips!

Yield: one 9x5" loaf
Author: Anna Ramiz
Browned Butter and Cardamom Zucchini Bread

Browned Butter and Cardamom Zucchini Bread

Prep time: 20 MinCook time: 1 HourTotal time: 1 H & 20 M
A simple recipe for the best zucchini bread, filled with warming spices, browned butter, and topped with mascarpone whipped cream.

Ingredients

for the zucchini bread
  • 14 oz shredded zucchini (from 2 medium zucchinis)
  • 2 eggs
  • 1/2 cup (113 g) unsalted butter, browned and cooled slightly
  • 3 tbsp (50 g) smooth tahini
  • 1/2 cup (100 g) granulated sugar
  • 1/2 cup (106 g) brown sugar
  • 1 tbsp vanilla extract
  • 1 tsp grated orange zest
  • 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
  • 1/4 tsp grated nutmeg
  • 1/2 tsp ground cardamom
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp baking soda
  • 1/2 tsp kosher salt
  • 1 1/2 cup (210 g) all purpose flour
  • 1/2 cup (50 g) spelt flour
for the mascarpone whipped cream
  • 1/2 cup mascarpone cheese
  • 3 tbsp granulated sugar
  • Pinch of salt
  • 1/3 cup heavy cream

Instructions

to make the zucchini bread
  1. Preheat oven to 350° F and line a 9x5” loaf pan with parchment paper. Set aside.
  2. Place butter in a small saucepan set over medium heat. Cook, swirling occasionally for 6-7 minutes, until butter is foamy and fragrant and little brown flecks are scattered throughout. Remove from heat and set aside to cool.
  3. Grate zucchini and place in a bowl. Set aside.
  4. In a medium sized bowl, whisk together flour, spelt flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, cardamom, and nutmeg.
  5. In a large bowl, combine sugar, brown sugar, and orange zest. Use your fingers to rub the orange zest into the sugars until fragrant.
  6. Add the tahini, vanilla extract, and cooled brown butter to the sugars. Whisk until smooth.
  7. Add the eggs and continue to whisk until the batter is homogenized.
  8. Add the zucchini to the liquid batter and fold in using a rubber spatula. Add the dry ingredients in two additions, folding gently just until everything is combined and no pockets of flour remain.
  9. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 55-60 minutes, until cake is deeply golden and a knife or toothpick inserted in the middle comes out cleanly. Let cool in the pan.
to make the mascarpone whipped cream
  1. Place mascarpone cheese and sugar in a medium bowl. Beat with an electric hand mixer or standing mixer for about 2 minutes, until well combined and mascarpone is fluffy.
  2. Add the heavy cream and continue to whip for 3-4 minutes, until mixture reaches soft peaks. Spoon over cooled zucchini bread.

Notes:

Some recipes call for squeezing the liquid out of the zucchini. For this recipe, we are going to skip that step and use some of that moisture in the bread itself. I do like to let the zucchini sit shredded in a bowl for about 10 minutes, while I prep the rest of the ingredients, and then use a fork to transfer the zucchini to the batter. If there is any residual liquid pooling at the bottom of the bowl after removing the zucchini, trash that and don’t add it to the batter. 


The mascarpone whipped cream is a nice complement to the bread if you are serving it right away, but if you are making this to eat on for the week, I'd recommend skipping the whipped cream (it won't hold very well). The bread is still delicious on it's own!

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Happy Birthday Tahini! [a puppy-friendly petit birthday cake]

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Last weekend was Tahini’s first birthday! (And this weekend is Martin’s birthday so maybe I should be writing about how much I love him, but alas, Tahini has taken over our lives completely and this is just the way it is now.) A year ago, I had no idea that a fuzzy little puppy friend was what I needed, but here we are, 365 days later, and I’m very best friends with a rascal-y little dog and I’m not mad about it in the least.

If you know me personally, you know that I am not, and have never been, a dog person. They are fine, I suppose, but I never really wanted one. Martin and I had been talking about maybe adopting a furry friend on and off for years, but never actually considered the idea because 1) I am not a dog person and 2) they seemed like they would cramp my style. Then, the pandemic hit. I was already working from home so cutting off all social interaction was pretty isolating and the idea of adding something to our family started looking a little more appealing. I had very specific criteria if this whole thing was going to happen. Our furry friend needed to be small (but not too small), short-haired, a rescue, a puppy, and the name Tahini had to fit because I’d already picked that out. We spent a few days looking online and had just about given up when Tahini’s sweet baby face was posted on a humane center website and 24 hours later, he was mine {ours, I guess}.

This little boy is the sweetest thing in the world and he has been the perfect addition to our little family. He lets me carry him around on my hip like a small child, he snuggles like a champ, loves to curl up in front of the fireplace, and would spend all day sitting in the sun if he was allowed. He gives sweet little kisses, lets me put citrus bandanas on him on a daily basis, loves strawberries and sardines, and I just can’t remember what life was like before he joined our family. So happy birthday to the sweetest little puppy around!

tahini’s dog-friendly birthday cake

And of course, he got his own birthday cake. There are a lot of dog cake recipes out there, but I wanted something that was safe and nutritious for dogs while also being edible and tasty for humans. This petit layer cake is made with bananas, coconut or olive oil, yogurt, honey, an egg, whole wheat flour, and ground oats. The frosting is made of cream cheese, a bit of honey, and of course, tahini. He loved it (because he loves every piece of food put in front of him) and the humans enjoyed it too. :)

Yield: makes one 5" petit layer cake
Author: Anna Ramiz
Tahini's Birthday Cake

Tahini's Birthday Cake

Prep time: 30 MinCook time: 25 MinTotal time: 55 Min
This petit layer cake is naturally sweetened with bananas and honey and is perfect for both our furry friends and their humans.

Ingredients

for the cake
  • 1/3 cup (75 g) coconut oil (melted) or olive oil
  • 1/2 cup (170 g) honey
  • 2 eggs
  • 2 large, ripe bananas
  • 1/4 cup (57 g) plain yogurt
  • 1/2 tsp baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp baking soda
  • Pinch of salt
  • 1 cup (90 g) old fashioned oats
  • 3/4 cup (85 g) white whole wheat flour
for the frosting
  • 8 oz cream cheese, softened
  • 2 tbsp (42 g) honey
  • 2 tbsp (32 g) tahini
  • fresh fruit, for decorating 

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 350° F and line a quarter sheet pan with parchment paper. Set aside.
  2. In the bowl of a food processor, pulse oats until finely ground. Transfer to a medium bowl. Add the white whole wheat flour, salt, baking powder, and baking soda. Gently whisk and then set aside.
  3. In a large bowl, mash bananas. Add the oil, honey, eggs, and yogurt and whisk until mixture is smooth and homogenous.
  4. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and whisk until just combined and no dry spots remain. Transfer batter to the prepared pan and bake for 20-25 minutes, until cake is golden brown and the sides begin to pull away from the edge of the pan. Cool completely.
  5. When the cake has cooled, invert it onto a cutting board and remove the parchment paper. Use a 5” cake ring to cut two circles and two half circles.
  6. To make the frosting: Beat cream cheese in the bowl of a stand mixer until smooth and fluffy. Add the honey and tahini and beat until well-combined.
  7. To assemble the cake: Place one of the cake circles on a cake stand. Scoop a few tablespoons of frosting on the top and use an offset spatula to smooth into an even layer. Top with the two half-circles, pressed together to make one circle, and add another layer of frosting. Place the final cake circle on top and use the remaining frosting to cover the top and sides of the cake as smoothly as possible. Top with fresh fruit and serve.
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