Cinnamon squares with vanilla custard baked in a sheet pan – A recipe for gooey cinnamon swirl squares with filling and vanilla custard baked in a sheet pan.
The recipe is inspired by Fredriksfika
Ingredients
Dough
50 g yeast
500 ml milk, lukewarm
150 g sugar
1 large tsp. cardamom
1 tsp. salt
150 g butter, softened
Ca. 800 g all-purpose flour
Vanilla custard
2 eggs
50 g sugar
1 vanilla pod
30 g flour
250 ml milk
Filling
200 g butter, softened
2-3 tbsp. cinnamon
125 g sugar
Sugar syrup
100 g water
100 g sugar
Extras
1 egg, beaten
White pearl sugar
Approach
Dough
Dissolve the yeast in the lukewarm milk in a mixing bowl. Add the sugar, cardamom, salt, and about half of the flour and knead the dough with the dough hook. Add the butter. Add more flour and knead the dough until it releases from the sides of the bowl and becomes shiny and elastic. It will take 5-10 minutes depending on how powerful your mixer is. Let the dough rise in the bowl for 1 hour under a damp dish towel.
Vanilla custard
You can easily make the vanilla custard a day in advance. Whisk the eggs and sugar until yellow and frothy. Add the flour and whisk again. Boil the milk with the vanilla pod; stir the milk constantly so it doesn’t burn. Add the milk to the egg mixture, as you continue to whisk and then pour the egg mixture back into the pot. Split the vanilla pod, scrape out the vanilla seeds, and add them to the custard mixture. Heat the custard, still whisking, until it just boils and thickens. Allow the custard to cool.
Filling
Mix all the ingredients well with a fork and set aside until needed.
How to make cinnamon squares
Roll out the dough into a large square on a floured surface. Spread the filling over the entire dough, followed by the vanilla custard. Fold the dough together so that it forms two layers. Fold the dough again and roll it out to fit your sheet pan. Put the dough on the sheet pan lined with baking paper (it doesn’t matter if the dough breaks a little). Cut or mark the dough into about 24 squares with a sharp knife. Leave the dough to rise for 30 minutes under a damp tea towel.
Heat the oven to 220 C convection.
Brush the cinnamon squares with the beaten egg and sprinkle with pearl sugar. Bake the cinnamon squares for 16-18 minutes in the lower part of the oven.
Sugar syrup
Make the syrup while the swirls are baking. Boil the water and sugar in a small saucepan until the sugar is dissolved.
Brush the sugar syrup on the cinnamon squares when they just come out of the oven. Let them cool and serve. Enjoy!
