Sweet Bacon Cinnamon Bread Cake: A Sweet Treat for a Three Little Pigs Welcome Home Party

            Last year, my sister and brother-in-law welcomed a beautiful little girl named Kai-Kim into their home. After a grueling two year process, the adoption went through, and we decided to hold an official welcome home party.

            "What theme are we going to do?" I asked Nina, my sister.

            "She wants the three little pigs. It's her favorite story," Nina said. "Mick is making a playhouse that looks like all three of the little pigs' houses. Do you think you could make her a special dessert or cake? Just make sure it isn't too sweet."

            Now, I personally love cakes. They're my specialty, but Kai-Kim had strange tastebuds. Unlike most kids, she did not like food that was overly sweet. But she did like "liddle sweets," as she put it. And she loved everything to do with the three little pigs. Three little pig cartoons, three little pig card games, three little pigs paper dolls, and more. She even loved pigs in the blanket just because it reminded her of the three little pigs.

            As I sat at the table, sketching out my ideas, Jack brought his laptop out. "I've just been talking to Nina, and we're going to be getting Kai-Kim a special set of sheets and blankets. Seems she's outgrown the toddler bed. So Mick and Nina are getting a big girl bed, and we're going to get her some sheets and a blanket." He turned his computer screen around to reveal a picture of three adorable pigs. "The pig theme, what else?"

            "Oh! It's so cute!" I said, clasping my hands.

            "Mom and Dad are going to get her some stuffed pigs too."

            "I guess the pressure's on me," I said. I turned the recipe card around. "I'm thinking of doing a spin on my cinnamon bread. She likes that, and I think that's about as sweet as she's going to like it. Where did you find the blanket and sheets? I've never seen anything like those."

            "It's a place called Vision Bedding," Jack said. "They run an online store. Lots of pictures to choose from. You can make the bedding look however you want it."

            "Good thing they had the little pigs," I said.

            "With twelve million options, they'd better," Jack chuckled. He turned the computer back and began typing. "It'll be here soon. So in the meantime, what are you going to do in the theme?"

            "She loves pigs in a blanket, so let's try this," I said. I continued to sketch out my ideas, considering different ingredients. Jack inserted his opinion at random intervals, but at last I decided what I would do. I would take our classic cinnamon bread recipe and line the buttered portion with sweet brown sugar bacon. It would be like pigs in a blanket, only a little more elegant and unusual.

            Excited, I dashed together the first batch. It came out beautifully. I tried both brown sugar bacon and maple syrup bacon. While both were good, albeit slightly different from what I was expecting, I decided that the brown sugar bacon was my favorite. It had a nice sweetness to it that blended well with the cinnamon and spice. Jack and the kids loved it too, after I explained the surprising flavor.

            "Kai-Kim is going to love it," Jack said. He tore off another piece. "It's kind of addictive though."

            I laughed, but it was true. We had a successful recipe now. The bedding came in the mail the same day, and so as Jack and the girls wrapped it up for Kai-Kim's party that night, I baked eight loaves of sweet bacon cinnamon bread. Then, I sliced the bread into thick slices and stacked them on the plate to form a thick pyramid. It made a little bit of a precarious cake, but, according to my son, it won uniqueness points.

            When evening came, we went out to my sister's. Kai-Kim smiled shyly and waved when she saw us. Then she ducked her face away. "Look what I made you," I said, pulling back the breadcloths and revealing the still steaming loaves. "Want to try a piece?"

            "Oooh, it smells delicious," Nina said. She accepted the basket and then began to cut it. "Let's get this party started!"

            Kai-Kim alternated between being overwhelmed and delighted. She ate five pieces of the sweet bacon "cim bed" and squealed with delight when she saw her presents. She wrapped herself up in the blanket as soon as she saw it, and she dragged the blanket and sheets into her new little playhouse. The stuffed pigs were an equally big hit with her, and she named them "Rice," "Pickle," and "Bacon."

            "You know she's not going to want anything else when she comes visit," Nina said. She patted Kai-Kim on the back. "It was the perfect dessert. Thanks so much for making it for us."

            Sure enough, Kai-Kim did want "Auntie's cim bed" whenever she came to visit. It's now a family holiday classic, but I make it a few times a year. Remember to try it with an open mind. The combination is a little bit surprising. If you can't get a hold of brown sugar or maple syrup bacon, you can always make your own by basting it in syrup or brown sugar directly.

Sweet Bacon Cinnamon Bread Cake

Prep Time:
1 hour 30 minutes

Cook Time:
25 - 30 minutes

Servings  

16

Original Recipe Yield 2 loaves

Ingredients

• 2 pcks (1/4 ounce each) active dry yeast
• ¼ cup warm water (110 – 115)
• 2 cups warm milk (110 – 115)
• ¾ cups sugar
• ½ cup butter softened
• 1 ½ tsp salt
• ¾ tsp ground cardamom
• 2 eggs
• 7 – 8 cups flour
• 1 lb maple or brown sugar bacon

Directions

In a mixing bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water. Add milk, sugar, butter, salt, cardamom, eggs, and 3 cups flour; beat until smooth. Stir in enough remaining flour to form a soft dough. Turn onto floured surface; knead until smooth and elastic for about 6 – 8 minutes. Place in greased bowl, cover and let rise in warm place until doubled after about one hour. Punch dough down. Divide into fourths on floured surface. Roll each portion into rectangle. Spread with softened butter and sprinkle with brown sugar and cinnamon. Place bacon strips along the bread lengthwise. Roll into loaves. Place 2 on greased cookie sheets. Cover and let rise 45 minutes in warm place. Bake 350 for 25 – 30 minutes. Let the bread cool completely. Slice into inch and a half slices and put aside the ends. Now layer the slices over the plate and then on top of one another, creating a pyramid.

Glaze

For a little extra sweetness, pour a brown sugar glaze across the top. This is my favorite recipe.

• 1/2 cup (packed) golden brown sugar
• 1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter
• 1/4 cup whipping cream
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/4 teaspoon salt

Directions

Stir all ingredients in small nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until sugar dissolves and mixture comes to boil. Reduce heat to medium; whisk until glaze is smooth, about 1 minute. Remove from heat. Invert cake onto rack set over baking sheet. Using small skewer, pierce holes all over top of warm cake. Pour glaze over top, allowing it to be absorbed before adding more. Cool cake 30 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature.