Cinnamon Roll Waffles with the King

The latest adventure for my alter ego "The Waffle King" has been a surprisingly unique, yet easy recipe. I had come across this one while looking through my fiancé's Pinterest pins. How she found this, I don't know, but there before me was a golden brown delicious looking Cinnamon Roll waffle all drizzled with sweet creamy frosting! Since It made me drool all over my laptop, I had to give it a whirl, so, here we go!

Adventures in a land of cinnamon with The Waffle King!

Cinnamon Roll meets Waffle!

So for starters, let me just reference where I found the recipe. I have to give props where props is due, so thanks to the good people at Love from the Oven for sharing what I'm sharing with you. (Great work Christi!)

Butter Cream frosting. Who wants to lick a beater?

This was the first deviation from Love from the Oven's recipe that I did. The original called for Duncan Hines' frosting creations as the frosting, but since the store I went to only had the cinnamon flavor and not the starter, I decided to make my own from scratch. Besides, why should I pay extra for frosting when I had the ingredients to make my own already at the house? I just pulled an easy recipe from All Recipes.com: The Perfect Cinnamon Roll Icing Recipe

The process of course is all waffle king. I got the iron out and went to work. Since I make a habit of cleaning my irons shortly after I finish cooking, all I had to to was pull it out, give it a quick wipe down, and get ta cookin!

Finished product

So I paired my newest recipe acquisition with some old favorites scrambled eggs, Canadian maple bacon, and a tall glass of sweet delicious POG!

Up close and delicious

The Spread

I just had to take some shots to showcase my photography skills. I still would like to get a food photography gig at some point. ;) Who knows, as I'm building this mini portfolio, it may turn into something big in the end...I just have to get another regular sized camera as mine was stolen along with my car in January. But that's a story for another blog...

First Bite

Well, what can I say? Using cake mix to make waffles doesn't necessarily produce as crispy a waffle as I like, but when you take into consideration that cinnamon rolls aren't crispy, these were perfect! Warm, soft and perfect! I think in the icing came out great although I will drop a little cinnamon in the next batch, and as great as it looks on the waffles themselves, I think these would be best dipped in the icing and eaten!

These will definitely make it on the Waffle King's regular circuit! Just be ready for a few more twists and tweaks in the batches to come! 

The Waffle King Logo

The Waffle King Logo, a photo by Ron San Kyuu Ban on Flickr.

I know I featured this in the previous blog post, but I just had to give it it's own 'solo shot'. I had a lot of fun with this one. I completely worked it up in Illustrator using multiple techniques to pull off the over all look. A Look worthy of a king...The Waffle King as it were.

The Return of The Waffle King -Mother's Day 2011

Official Waffle King Logo:
Tatumology Productions

It's always a fun time at Southside, and this day was no exception. Another Mother's Day was upon us, and we (The Men), were plotting to handle the breakfast duties as is our custom every Mother's Day. While they decided who was going to serve, take orders, and cook, there was no question as to whether or not The Waffle King would be making a return appearance.

This year, I had something special for the menu. Last year, I wowed the ladies with the debut of my now famous Chocolate Chip Waffles. This time, I looked to take my game up several notches. Being the food lover/ 'Foodie' that I am I had been on several of my patented Food Adventures which introduced me to all kinds of incredible eats. One particular run brought me face to face with The Buttermilk Truck and their infamous Red Velvet Pancakes.

Red Velvet Pancakes: The ButtermilkTruck

These were a very nice slice of deliciousness that got my creative mind whirling. Now. Knowing how I do love a good waffle, and how close a pancake is to a waffle, I began to wonder what it would take to get that pancake goodness in the form of a waffle.

Test Batch Batter

My thinking was this: If I could find a pancake recipe for the red velvet variety, I could at the very least tweak it and make it suitable for my waffle irons. After doing a initial search of the internet, I came across quite a few references for red velvet pancakes AND red velvet waffles. I did several scans of the found recipes, and finally decided on one that looked to be a real winner. The recipe is one by a very dynamic young lady Ms JG, and it was everything that I needed to proceed with my master plan! The Cream Cheese Butter may seem unnecessary, but the waffle will be incomplete without it, besides, It was an absolute FAVORITE of the moms and ladies when I served it up! Click This link for the recipe: Red Velvet Waffles I will admit JG, that I added one extra ingredient, a bit of something that I picked up from The Buttermilk Truck here in LA. I added chocolate chips to the mix!

Test Batch Stacks

I decided to do a test run before I unleashed the full flavor on the masses. I'll have to say, these came out pretty good. The test batch gave me a good idea about the yield, consistency, and when & how to insert those wonderful chocolate chips!

Red Velvet and Regular Waffle batter side by side

The actual run went very smoothly. I pre made the batter at home and dropped it off at the church the day before, so it would be good to go in the morning before the ladies arrived. I also made regular waffles while at the church, so I could get a good jump on the next day. I was itching to try out my new four slice belgian waffle iron by Cuisinart, but it would have to wait till the next day.

Batch one. Lookin good!

I'll have to say that I was very pleased with the results from the Cuisinart iron. My previous attempts to provide a good waffle maker for use at the church produced only cheap failures. I was looking for a multiple waffle maker with the durability and reliability of my tried and true single waffle maker by Toastmaster. Results don't lie. Cuisinart's model Rocked!

As the ladies rolled in, most initially asked for the regular waffles, but those 'in the know' requested the day's special: Red Velvet Waffles. As the first few orders went out, it didn't take long for others to recognize that there was something special going on. After all, there was a bright red spot on some plates that caused all eyes to focus in, and each brain try and comprehend what was going on. As the olfactory input reached their sensory receptors, cries for 'That Waffle' began to rise up all over hallowed Parmes Hall!

Red Velvet Waffle with Cream Cheese Butter and dusted with powdered sugar

Before long I had run out of time and waffle batter. Everyone who had one of the Red Velvet Waffles loved them, and those who didn't get one were just a bit upset that didn't know about the 'Special Menu'. The 'regular' waffles were still a hit, and some chocolate chip waffles were even made...on special request of course. Plans are already being made for next year's batch, and I even got a special request to make some for my sis Oana when I visit Brisbane next! Until then, only God knows what will be the next tour of tastiness for

 The Waffle King!

The Legend of The Waffle King

Let it be told, I grew up eating pancakes. Most of my earliest memories involved them. From my grand ma making them when I stayed with her, to her getting up early in the morning, picking me up and taking me to McDonald's when me and my mom moved, to my first attempts to make them on my own. It's been about pancakes. Then one day, I discovered waffles. I'm not sure exactly when, but but waffles came on the scene, but since then, I've been all about the waffles! The unfortunate part for me was that, due to lack of a waffle iron in the home, and me being too young to up and run to a local waffle joint (well to be honest, there weren't any waffle joints in my hood. I woulda had to drive to a whole other area for that.) waffles didn't really get to get a hold of me to a little later.

Roscoe's Famous Waffle

Waffle from The Serving Spoon in Inglewood

My first memorable waffle was at my friend's house. His grand dad used to make these out of sight waffles that always had us asking for more! It took me forever to figure out his secret ingredient! :) The next one that really stands out in my mind was at The Rusty Harpoon on the Big Island of Hawaii. It was Belgian style, one of my first since the Belgian waffles, had not as yet, become so popular. What really put it over the top, then, was the chocolate and carob chips! Up until this point, I had not yet realized that so much more can be done to and with a waffle, than just a basic batter then topping it with butter and syrup. There was a whole other world of waffle out there, and I was missing it! Since then, I have enjoyed getting out in this waffle world and experiencing what it has to offer. Some of my favorite spots are Roscoe's Chicken & Waffles, The Serving Spoon, and The Waffle House, with their delicious chocolate chip waffles. The Waffle house being a true food adventure because there are NONE in Southern Cali!

The Waffle House Chocolate Chip Waffle

Since then, and my first waffle iron and waffle cookbook, I've been on a tear making and experimenting with various mixes and flavors, recipes and whispered secret ingredients. I had always had an interest and a knack for baking, so when it came to making waffles, it seemed a natural transition. Being the artist that I am, some of my creations can get quite creative! Once I made what came to be one of my favorite and signature waffles, the oatmeal strawberry waffle, I was dubbed "The Waffle King" by those close to me.

Costco's Waffle doctored with strawberry cream cheese and fresh strawberries and a hint of cinnamon

The moniker really solidified once I got on the irons at the church's Mother's Day Breakfast. The men of the church fix breakfast for all the mothers and ladies on Mother's Day, and waffles were added to the menu about 4 years ago, and I was called into action. All were quite pleased. This past Mother's Day was no exception. All who ate said this was the best batch yet! It featured the signature Waffle King Waffle, the chocolate chip variation, and this year, the oatmeal waffle with the chocolate chip variation! It was a great great time on the irons, but next year I'll be upgrading my Chefmate iron to something that cooks better. That was not a good iron to make waffles with. My first waffle iron, the Toastmaster 222s is still goin strong and making some great waffles, but need a companion for these breakfasts, so more people can enjoy one of the Waffle King's hot ,golden brown, toasty creations!

As time goes on the Legend of The Waffle King grows, and I am already plotting my next batch. Butterscotch chips? Peanut butter? Cookie dough? Which will be next? Stay tuned to this blog and find out!
*Two Finger Peace Sign*

-Photography by me, Ron Tatum

The Waffle King's Signature Waffle