Cinnamon rolls in the cast iron heart pan

Say Mother's Day or a lazy Sunday and you say cinnamon rolls. There's nothing quite like the smell of freshly baked cinnamon rolls drifting through the house. These rolls are super fluffy, just sticky enough thanks to the brown sugar, and we finish them off with a thick layer of cream cheese frosting. Baked in the 20 cm cast iron heart pan they're not only a treat to eat — they look amazing too.

Specially developed for the 20 cm cast iron heart pan.

Ingredients

For the dough

• 290 g plain flour
• 125 ml whole milk (lukewarm)
• 4 g dried yeast (about half a sachet)
• 40 g sugar
• 40 g unsalted butter (melted)
• 1 small egg (or half a large one)
• Pinch of salt

For the filling

• 50 g soft butter
• 60 g light brown sugar
• 1 heaped tablespoon of cinnamon

For the cream cheese frosting

• 50 g cream cheese
• 25 g soft butter
• 60 g icing sugar
• Drop of vanilla extract

Method

1. Mix the lukewarm milk with the yeast and a teaspoon of the sugar. Let it stand for 5-10 minutes until foamy — that's how you know the yeast is alive! Add the rest of the sugar, the melted butter, the egg and the flour. Knead (by hand or with a mixer) for about 8-10 minutes until you have a supple, elastic dough that comes away from the bowl.
2. Shape the dough into a ball and place it in a lightly greased bowl. Cover with a damp cloth and let it rise in a warm, draught-free spot for 1 to 1.5 hours, until doubled in size. Patience really is key here for that airy texture.
3. Roll the dough out on a floured surface into a rectangle of about 30 × 20 cm. Spread it generously with the soft butter and scatter the cinnamon sugar evenly on top. Roll tightly starting from the long side.
4. Grease the cast iron heart pan well with butter. Cut the roll into 7 or 8 equal slices. Arrange the rolls in the heart pan (start at the point and work upwards). Cover and let them prove for another 30 minutes in the pan while you preheat the oven to 180 °C.
5. Bake the rolls for 20-25 minutes until golden. Meanwhile, mix all the frosting ingredients until smooth. Spread the frosting over the rolls while they're still just a little warm, so it melts in a touch... Heavenly!

Tip: use a razor-sharp knife or (pro-tip!) a piece of unflavoured dental floss to slice the rolls without squashing the dough.

Extra festive: right at the end, sprinkle some crumbled freeze-dried raspberries over the frosting. That bright pink looks stunning against the white and the tartness cuts beautifully through the richness of the cream cheese.