Cake Batter Cinnamon Rolls

Did ya just about pass out reading the blog title!? Lol, I almost did, when my friend Alyssa sent me this recipe. (It was a very nice, subtle hint for me to make these and let her know if they were any good!) ;D Haha, well they are! I'm guessing another reason she wanted me to attempt them first is because the original recipe isn't very accurate and has ALOT of guesstimate/ use your best judgement during the whole process. But don't you worry, I wrote everything I did down, so it will be ALOT clearer! Please, read through my directions before you attempt, to avoid confusion, just in case my directions are not as thorough as I think they are. =D

What You'll Need for the Dough: Makes 12 good sized rolls!

1 Pkg. Yeast or 2 1/2 tsp. from a Jar

1/2 C. Warm Water

1/2 tsp. Sugar- this is for the yeast

3 Tbs. Shortening

1/2 C. Sugar

1 1/2 tsp. Salt

1 C. Hot Water- near boiling

1/2 C. Yellow Cake Mix

Roughly 6 C. Flour

1 Egg, Beaten

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What You'll Need for the Filling:

2 Tbs. Melted Butter

1 C. Brown Sugar

1 C. Yellow Cake Mix

Cinnamon- I used less than 1 teaspoon

Sprinkles!

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What You'll Need for the Frosting/ Icing:

2 Tbs. Melted Butter

1/2 C. Yellow Cake Mix

1 tsp. Vanilla Extract

1 1/4 C. Powdered Sugar

1/4 C. Milk - more if you want an "icing" texture

Directions:

1. Mix shortening, 1 c. sugar, and salt with the hot water. Mix until the shortening has melted completley. Let this mixture sit aside until it is a lukewarm temperature.

2. While the previous mixture is cooling, in a small bowl mix together 1/2 c. warm water, yeast and 1/2 tsp. sugar together. Let the yeast mixture set for at least 5 minutes to get the yeast activated.

3. Add 2 cups of flour and 1/2 c. cake mix to the mixture from step #1. Use your mixer to beat the dough until smooth.

4. Add the yeast water and mix until smooth.

5. Add in the beaten egg.

6. Add in 2 additional cups of flour. Attach your dough hook to your mixer and add 1/2 cup of flour at a time until the dough no longer sticks to the sides of the bowl. I used about 2 more cups. Let your dough hook work it's magic for about 4 minutes, or knead by hand which will take about 10 minutes. You want the dough to have a nice satiny look and feel .

7. Cover the bowl with saran wrap, and let the dough rise for 30 minutes.

8. Flour your counter then roll out your dough to a rectangle about 17 inches x 21 inches. This was just a tiny bit bigger than my silicone mat.

9. Using a silicone brush, spread the melted butter onto the dough. Then add the filling. (1 c. Brown Sugar, 1 C. Cake Mix, a REALLY LIGHT dusting of Cinnamon, and Sprinkles if you wish.)

10. Roll the dough up as tightly as you can and pinch the seam closed.

11. Use thread or dental floss to cut the rolls. Cut off the uneven ends, you won't be using them. Then cut each roll about 2 inches wide, you should get about 12 rolls.

12. Grease, or better yet, use parchment paper to line 1 large cookie sheet or 2, 9x13 pans. ( I wish I had used the pans! 6 rolls per pan.) Evenly space the cinnamon rolls, cover with a clean dish towel and let them rise for about 30-60 minutes until doubled in size.

12. Bake at 425 for 10 minutes, reduce the heat to 350 and bake an additional 5-7 minutes.

13. While the rolls are baking, prepare the DELICIOUS frosting. Seriously this stuff is to die for! I prefer my frosting to be nice and thick and I like to spread it on warm cinnamon rolls, but if you prefer more of an "icing" texture, then just add extra milk 1 Tbs at a time until you get the consistency you're looking for.

The middle of a cinnamon roll is always my FAVORITE part!! I hope ya'll enjoy these as much as I am!