Cinnamon Cake and Premature Labor

Among our throng of visitors for Memorial Day, was my little sister Catherine and her family of four. This was going to be Catherine's last visit for a little while, since she is almost 35 weeks pregnant and shouldn't make the 4 hour drive until after the baby arrives. I always love to have pregnant dinner guests; they are so appreciative of your every effort, so grateful to have a duty free evening, and best of all, so enamored of the food. (I am perpetually enamored of food, with or without pregnancy.) So I invited Catherine and her family plus my parents over for a simple dinner of grilled chicken, cheesy potatoes, and a lovely green salad. For dessert, we had cinnamon cake (for my Tuesdays with Dorie assignment) with my own browned butter glaze on top. To say that it was a hit, would be a gross understatement. I planned to plate a few squares for guests, and later photograph a lovely posed slice of cake, perhaps with a glass of milk by the side of the saucer. I was lucky to get this picture. Lucky because everyone, pregnant and 100% not pregnant, loved this cake. My little niece Annabelle, who has up until now been apathetic towards cakes, decided that she must have this cinnamon cake for her June birthday. Sigh. I love a good cooking compliment, especially from a child. What a lovely evening, full of sweet success.

Except.... in the middle of the night, Catherine's baby tried to make a premature entrance into the world. After a few long days and nights in the hospital, Catherine made her way to my parent's house across the street where she must stay on bed rest until the baby really arrives. And thank heavens the baby is developed enough to be quite safe, even if it arrives tomorrow. But in the meantime, all of her beautiful baby items are four hours north in her little house. And Catherine's two little children are wondering why it is that their mother has set up camp on the couch. (A mother doesn't have a lot of authority from the couch.) As a little pick me up, I invited Catherine's children over to make their mother a suprise batch of cinnamon cake. This time we made it into cupcakes, which were equally delicious. And when I thought about writing this post, I thought it would be about a lovely cinnamon cake for my poor sister on bed rest.

But then I had an uncomfortable thought: what if...could it be... is it possible... that cinnamon has anything to do with premature labor? Could my beautiful cinnamon cakes be the cause of this extended camp on the couch? Here's what a google source had to say about that: "Cinnamon, in large doses, has been known to trigger premature labor..."

Gulp. Is it getting warm in here? You know you can't trust everything you read on the Internet. And Dorie's recipe called for 1 tablespoon cinnamon, and I had only used 1 and 1/2 teaspoons, because I'm very prudent that way. And I didn't know so it's not my fault. And I'm sure Catherine is enjoying her hours and hours of rest and relaxation. Gulp again. Um, you might want to be careful who you share your Tuesday treats with. You just might be left wondering if Dorie's delicious cinnamon cake and extended bed rest have a causal relationship. Excuse me while I go whip up something chocolatey for the invalid. And then give her a pedicure. And a back massage. And read aloud from Anna Karenina. While I babysit.

Money Saving Tips: This is a great money saving treat, since there are no pricey ingredients like chocolate, nuts, or fruits. It could easily pass for a coffee cake, but it just as lovely as a simple dessert. If you don't have buttermilk on hand, milk works just fine. I've trimmed the butter in Dorie's recipe by a few tablespoons. But don't worry-you get them back in the frosting.
Cinnamon Cake with Browned Butter Glaze

Estimated Cost: $2.00

slightly adapted from Greenpan's original recipe

1 and 1/4 cup sugar

1 and 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon

1 and 1/4 cups flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/4 teaspooon salt

1 cup buttermilk

2 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

8 tablespoons butter, melted and cooled

For the glaze:

2 tablespoons butter

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/4 or 1/3 cup milk or cream

1 cup powdered sugar, if desired
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a cupcake pan with about 16 liners, or grease an 8 inch square baking dish. In a large bowl, combine dry ingredients: sugar, cinnamon, flour, powder, and salt. In a separate bowl, combine buttermilk, eggs, and vanilla. Pour the liquid ingredients over the dry ingredients and lightly blend. Spread batter into prepared pan. Bake for about 35 minutes for square pan, and about 20 minutes for cupcakes. To make glaze, melt butter in small saucepan. Watching closely, cook butter without stirring until browned. Stir in brown sugar to form thick mixture. For a glaze add the lesser amount of milk, for frosting add the greater. Add milk and stir until lump free. It's ready as a glaze. If you want it to be like frosting, add powdered sugar and beat until lumps are gone. Spoon over warm cake.

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