Cinnamon Churro Cake | Episode 5: Halloween Wars

 Imagine one perfect bite filled with cinnamon spice cake, a smooth and creamy churro diplomat cream, a little kick from a strawberry chili jam, a nutty crunch from an almond streusel, and a bit of sweetness from a vanilla buttercream. Yeah, this has all of that, and you can't even begin to imagine all the flavors this Cinnamon Churro Cake holds. 

You've only gotta say one word before I'm hooked... 

C H U R R O S ! The end.

I have a lot of favorite desserts, but churros are just something special. The crunch, the cinnamon, the warmth, and all the memories I have with churros bring so much happiness to my soul. It's one of my very favorite treats. I will never turn them down. 

However, what if I could combine two of my favorite desserts into one ? 

Churros + Cake = CHURRO CAKE ! It works. Actually, it does more than "just" work. It's INCREDIBLE. Earth shattering, even. It's so delectable, and I am so excited to share the recipe with you. You've gotta get in on this tastiness. Yeah, it requires some steps to make all of the components, but once you do - you'll be so glad that you did. It's beyond worth it.



This cake has so many amazing elements that come together to make this a masterpiece. It has crunch, creaminess, sweetness, a touch of spice, and is packed with so much deep, delicious flavor.

The Elements of this Cake:

- Cinnamon Spice Cake

- Churro Diplomat Cream

- Strawberry Chili Jam

- Almond Streusel Crunch

- Traditional Vanilla Buttercream


To transform this cake from a good cake .. to a GREAT cake, I added my favorite Strawberry Chili Jam. I first discovered a jam like this at Disney World when I ordered my favorite Gluten Free Churros in Animal Kingdom, and I had to include this to brighten up the cake. The judges loved the flavor addition that it brought. 

I am a girl who loves flavor and texture, so the added brightness and freshness from the jam rocks my world.

The Churro Diplomat cream adds even more classic churro flavor. It's incredible. A diplomat cream is simply a pastry cream that has whipped cream folded in. Easy as that!

and, the Almond Streusel Crunch adds the perfect texture to mimic the crunchy, crisp texture of a deep fried churro. So good.

                                               

I presented this cake to the judges on Episode 5 of Food Network's Halloween Wars, and Aarti Sequeria especially loved it. She said that the jam had "the perfect smooch of heat." That made my heart so happy, because she has been one of my most favorite Food Network chefs ever since she competed on "Next Food Network Star." I remember sitting down with my family watching the show, and my 9 year old self was SO excited when she won. I've loved following her ever since, and she now lives in North Carolina, too. NC buddies! 

To hear a comment like that from her was the most encouraging thing ever. Still so grateful for it. 

and, since that day - we've become friends. It's been such a gift. She's the kindest soul, and I'm grateful to say that I know her. 




The Cinnamon Spice Cake that is the vessel carrying all these amazing fillings is fabulous, even on its own. It's SO simple, and it's phenomenal. It would be so good with a Chai buttercream, a brown sugar buttercream, pumpkin buttercream, or even nothing at all. 

This cake is light, tender, moist, and the perfect amount of spice. Shinmin Li, judge on Halloween Wars, raved about the texture of this cake. I mean, that's a pretty amazing review to get. 

Ingredients You Need for the Cake:

- Butter

- Sugar

- Flour

- Baking Powder

- Cinnamon

- Kosher Salt

- Vanilla Extract

- Eggs & Egg Yolks

- Sour Cream

- Milk

Other Food Network Featured Cake Recipes


Having fun with this cake? Well, be sure to check out the other cakes I created especially for the show. I had a blast competing on Food Network's Halloween Wars Season 12 in Fall 2022. It was so fun & challenging. 


- An Almond Sourdough Cake that's so moist and tender, with a light touch of tang is paired with a creamy & luxurious Milk Chocolate French Buttercream and a tart raspberry jam. A bit of crunch comes from some toasted almonds in there, too. It's a beautiful combination. This one was featured on Episode 3, which was our debut episode.


- Lover of nostalgic treats? Well, this 4 Layer Cherry Limeade cake is one of my favorites from my time on Halloween Wars. It takes me back to my childhood summertimes, and all the refreshing glasses of cherry limeade. It’s fantastic & oh so good. It has alternating layers of cherry and lime cake that are flavorful, colorful, and super tender. It has homemade cherry jam, traditional lime curd, and a vanilla bean Italian buttercream. All the flavors blend together so well. It’s a huge hit.


- This Sidecar Cocktail Inspired Cake was a fun one to make based on our Portland, Oregon Prohibition Episode for Episode 6 of Halloween Wars. It was so exciting to get creative on how to combine a cocktail into a cake. It turned out fabulously, and I still can't get over what the judges said about it. It still makes me beam just thinking about it. It's filled with Orange Liqueur simple syrup, traditional lemon curd, and a Cherry and Pistachio Granola - and, it's all wrapped up in a glorious Brandy Buttercream. So so so good.


- Finally, for Episode 7 - I had to make a cake that featured seaweed... which is something I never thought I would do. However, *spoiler* according to the judges, even with it being gluten free, it was the BEST cake of the SEASON !! I was floating. It contains my famous gluten free chocolate cake, peanut butter Italian buttercream (YUM!), ginger sea salt caramel, crushed peanuts, and deep fried & chocolate coated dulse. Dulse is a red seaweed. Quite interesting, but it added such a nice texture, crunch, and saltiness. I've made this cake several times since.



         


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