Is there a better way to start the day than with something sweet and cinnamon flavoured? Thought not.

Lottie’s Cinnamon Rolls are a speedy way to get that cinnamon hit, as they don’t include yeast, cutting down the need for rising time and so on. They are a little bit fiddly, though, so allow yourself a little time to get them made. They’re worth every minute!

(Unfortunately, my photos from this week’s bake have gone AWOL! I’ll try and get some up soon, but in the meantime, here’s a photo of my brother with the cinnamon rolls he made.)

Cinnamon Rolls

Ingredients:

For the pastry:

• 375g plain flour
• 3 tsp baking powder
• pinch of salt
• 3 tbsp caster sugar
• 2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 100g melted butter
• 2 egg yolks
• 200ml milk

For the filling:

• 2tsp ground cinnamon
• 55g soft brown sugar
• 3tbsp caster sugar
• 2tbsp melted butter

For the icing:

• 125g icing sugar
• 2tbsp cream cheese
• 1tbsp butter
• 1tsp vanilla essence

Method:

Preheat the oven to 180°C / fan 160°C / gas mark 4

Start the with pastry. Mix the flour, baking powder, salt, caster sugar and cinnamon together in a bowl.

Whisk the melted butter together with the egg yolks and milk.

Combine with the dry ingredients to make a soft dough, adding a little more flour if needed.

Turn out onto a large piece of greaseproof paper, sprinkled with flour, and press out into a rectangle approximately 30 x 25 cm.

Next, make the filling. Mix together all the filling ingredients and spread evenly over the dough.

Roll up the long side to make a log.

Cut into eight slices and pack into a greased and lined round cake tin, swirls pointing upwards.

Brush the top with a little extra milk, and bake for 30-35 minutes or until golden brown.

Remove from the oven and cool for 5 minutes, then take out of the tin.

For the icing, sift the icing sugar into a bowl and make a well in the centre.

Place the cream cheese and butter in the well, then pour over 2tbsp of boiling water and stir to mix.

Add a few extra drops of boiling water until the frosting is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon.

Stir in 1tsp of vanilla essence, then drizzle over the cinnamon rolls.