L.A.’s cinnamon rolls put a global spin on the nostalgic dessert, including pandan sweet buns, rolls glazed with matcha and miso-honey, plus plenty of classic takes.
L.A.’s only dedicated cinnamon roll shop was born during the pandemic, when stay-at-home orders prevented Lindsay Sears-McDonald from going to her family’s favorite bakery to satisfy her craving for sticky sweet buns.
Instead, she attempted the dessert at home. When her first try yielded delicious results, she set out to perfect the recipe. Soon, she and her husband Lawrence were popping up at events across Los Angeles, and in 2023 they nabbed a vendor spot at Smorgasburg L.A. They named their outfit All About the Cinnamon, a play on the hit song “All About the Benjamins” that features Lil’ Kim and Notorious B.I.G. The menu follows a similar theme, with plush cinnamon rolls named after the rap and R&B artists that Lindsay and Lawrence grew up listening to, such as the Em dotted with milk-chocolate M&M’s or the Busta topped with warm Nutella. Last summer the couple opened a small storefront in Sherman Oaks, complete with a mural of hip-hop greats. But it’s the cinnamon roll that’s elevated the bakery to viral status. The brick-sized loaves are lined up next to the register and get drenched in a citrus-flecked cream cheese frosting just before they’re served — the frosting is offered in a separate container for to-go orders — with a bread knife pierced through the center. The soft dough pulls apart easily and dissolves in the mouth almost like cotton candy. Earthy cinnamon and tart cream cheese balance out the sweetness of this generous dessert that’s meant to be shared.The cinnamon rolls at this Old Pasadena bakery are at least three inches tall, with plush dough wrapped around swirls of cinnamon paste. The cinnamon flavor is wonderfully intense, balancing the thick, sweet icing that sits in a thick sheet across the top of the bun. It’s beyond decadent, and worth the line that will inevitably stretch out the door and down the block, regardless of when you visit.As with every pastry at Jiyoon Jang’s bakery and cafe, the cinnamon bun — all draped in honey and toasted sesame seeds — presents a delicate balance of sweet and savory. At Modu, Jang incorporates Korean flavor into her cookies, tea cakes and cinnamon bun, and in the last, that translates to a fluffy, plush milk-bread dough for the base. The miso, woven through both the cinnamon filling and the honey glaze on top, adds a thrum of umami. This treat became a fast favorite during Jang’s years of pasty pop-ups and order-ahead boxes, but now that she owns her own storefront, they can be found every day of the week.The line forms early for San & Wolves’ plant-based Filipino pastries, but the team gets an even earlier start. When it comes to their cinnamon buns — which come in three varieties — they start preparing the dough as early as 3 a.m. Roughly 24 hours of proofing keeps the dough airy and squishable, while the Filipino flavors keep things unique and colorful. In the pandan bun, the dough gets scented with the fragrant leaf and slathered with a classic filling of brown sugar, butter and cinnamon, and it’s all topped with frosting and toasted coconut. The black sesame bun, the most savory of the three, receives a thick inner spiral of house-made black sesame paste combined with sugar and butter, while the ube halaya bun is filled with a fresh ube jam made with ube, coconut milk, sugar and house-made condensed coconut milk. Arrive early to try all three.Owner Karolyn Plummer is a former teacher who named the business after her three bestselling desserts: sweet potato pie, red velvet cupcakes and peach cobbler. There should be a way to add cinnamon to that list. While the former are three favorites, I never leave without a cinnamon roll. They’re served in individual foil bowls with a generous layer of icing spread across the entire surface. If you’re lucky, the rolls will be warm when you visit, with the gooey icing melting into every crevice. The swirls of dough underneath are as soft as a pillow and flecked with plenty of cinnamon. And if the rolls are room temp when you arrive, you can always warm them up at home — if they survive the journey.Cinnamon rolls were a Christmas morning tradition for Matt Valentine, who learned how to make the rolls in culinary school and later perfected his recipe. After operating as a home bakery, Valentine now serves these same rolls at his Carson storefront, just off the 91 Freeway. Sweet Valentine bakes its cinnamon rolls fresh throughout the day until doors close at 8 p.m. The rolls are extra soft and pliable, thanks to the 24- to 48-hour process of making the overnight, slow-rise dough. The palm-size desserts are smothered in cream cheese frosting, and three flavors are available: classic, Biscoff and Oreo. Seasonal flavors include carrot cake for Easter, red velvet for Valentine’s Day and peach cobbler in the fall. A neon-red sign flashes in the window, advertising “HOT CINNAMON ROLLS NOW,” and every guest is welcomed with free coffee and a sample cookie.These toffee-like, sweet-salty cinnamon buns are so delectable they helped kickstart an entire bakery business. SweetBoy founder Ben Sidell began making these sweet buns from his sister’s kitchen during the pandemic. After his first drop, he had hundreds of messages requesting them, and launched his bakery then and there. The tall, pillowy cluster of buns requires two days of effort, proofing in multiple phases and layering the dough with thick “cinnamon goo.” Once finished they’re covered not in frosting but a warm, caramel toffee sauce with enough salinity to balance the buns’ sweetness — the perfect cinnamon bun for those who lean savory. Sidell offers them online for preorder and at weekend brunch at his mother’s West Hollywood seafood restaurant, Saltie Girl, where they arrive stacked on a small stand and are drizzled tableside with toffee sauce you’ll be licking from your plate.
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