Tuesday's with Dorie: Cinnamon Squares

Well, it has been a while! Even though I just got back from the States yesterday, I thought that now I am well again (or at least well enough), I needed to start posting my Tuesdays with Dorie again. Tracy of Tracy's Culinary Adventures chose today's recipes and it is linked here.
My husband is in Munich and the house is a wreck (not so much from my being away in the US, as from getting home and unpacking and doing laundry and dealing with the children alone) so I was grateful that I had all the ingredients in the house (except esspresso powder, which I really don't think exists here) and threw it together. (Photos added after the kids are asleep.)
A few thoughts:

• When will I learn? Even though I knew that I would not add the chocolate frosting (my goodness, I really don't like chocolate), why did I add the chocolate chips in the center layer? It really detracted from a decent cinnamon breakfast cake.
• I generally find Dorie's cakes too sweet- I lowered the sugar by 1/4 cup, but perhaps should have decreased it more.
• I often find the temperature/time incorrect- this time I turned the pan at 20 minutes and at 40 found it done. I might have been able to take it out at 35.
• Dorie's cakes are frequently not spicy enough for my taste: when decreasing the sugar I should have upped the cinnamon. I did increase the salt and the vanilla and felt that to be better.
• I dislike attempting to melt tablespoons of butter when I live with grams here and there are no sticks: I substituted 1/3 cup of olive oil and found the cake moist. I may continue to do this although in the case I think I would have preferred using 1/3 cup of unsweetened applesauce. I may try this again with much less sugar, yogurt instead of milk, applesauce and a real crumb topping (because sugar mixed with cinnamon is ehh in comparison).

As you can tell, it's ok. I have a coffee guest tomorrow and will hope she enjoys it. The girls don't love it, husband's not here and for me the streaks of chocolate damage my enjoyment (and I used a lot less than the recipe). It's a learning experience.