Cinnamon Roll Cake

If you love cinnamon rolls, get ready for your life to be changed! There is no denying that we love cinnamon rolls around here, but boy are they a lot of work. Just like our Cinnamon Bundt Cake Recipe, you get all the flavors without all the work in this recipe for cinnamon roll cake.

If you love this cake, you must try this Christmas Coffee Cake Recipe, Honey Bun Cake and Coffee Cake Muffins.

Why We Love Cinnamon Roll Cake

Cinnamon Roll Cake is packed with flavor and is made from scratch. The ingredients are simple and you probably already have all of them in your pantry. This cake is perfect for any occasions including birthdays, holidays or just an easy dessert at home.

This cake has all the flavors of a homemade cinnamon roll but in a delicious cake form.

Ingredients

• Flour – Measure all purpose flour in a measuring cup. This ensures that the cake doesn’t end up dry with to much flour added.
• Sugar – We used granulated sugar. We have not tried it with sugar substitutes.
• Baking Powder – Before adding in the baking powder, make sure it is fresh. If baking powder is expired it may not turn out properly. You can also use baking soda.
• Milk – We used whole milk but you can also use milk of your choice
• Eggs – We like using room temperature eggs
• Softened Butter – Since we add in salt, we used unsalted butter
• Brown Sugar – If you are out, see The Best Brown Sugar Substitutes

Scroll to the bottom for the full recipe in the recipe card.

Variations Ideas

• Add Chopped Nuts – Nuts added to this recipe would be amazing. You can mix chopped pecans, walnuts or almonds while mixing the batter. You can also just sprinkle ½ of a cup on top.
• Cream Cheese Frosting – This cake taste delicious with a cream cheese frosting for a delicious variation.

How to Make Cinnamon Roll Cake

Step 1 – In a large bowl, mix everything, including the dry ingredients, together for the ingredients of the cake. I like using my stand mixer.

Step 2 – Pour batter into baking dish. Make sure to prepare pan by spraying with nonstick cooking spray to easily serve cake.

Step 3 – For the streusel topping, mix butter, brown sugar, flour, 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon ingredients well in a small bowl.

Step 4 – Drop spoonfuls of cinnamon sugar mixture on top of the cake batter for the top layer.

Step 5 – Swirl the topping around with a knife. If your topping isn’t runny, you can still swirl it around and it will still taste great!

Step 6 – Bake in preheated oven for 30 to 35 minutes. Cake is done when toothpick inserted or knife comes out clean.

Step 7 – Meanwhile whisk together the glaze ingredients and drizzle glaze over warm cake.

Recipe Tips and Tricks

• Cinnamon Swirl – When swirling the cinnamon mixture into the cake, make sure you push the knife all of the way to the bottom of the pan so that you get the cinnamon swirl mixture infused through the whole cake.
• Make Ahead – We usually devour this cake as soon as it is glazed and ready, but if you need to make this ahead of time you can certainly do so! I wouldn’t bake the cake any more than 24 hours in advance and don’t glaze it until you need it. When you’re ready to serve the cake, warm the cake up and top with the glaze while the cake is still warm.
• Adding Glaze – While most cake recipes want you to wait until the cake is cool to put on the icing or glaze, this one works best if the cake is still warm. The glaze melts right into the cake and makes it taste just like warm cinnamon rolls!
  

Can I Substitute with a Boxed Cake Mix?

If you would rather use a boxed cake mix instead of making your own, you can absolutely use a boxed cake mix instead. You will need a white cake mix and all of the ingredients the instructions call for.

Simply mix the cake mix up according to the package directions, then mix up the cinnamon mixture and the glaze following the recipe below. Pour the cake batter into your prepared pan and drop the cinnamon filling by spoonfuls on the top. Using a knife, swirl the cinnamon filling into the cake.

Bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean. Spread the glaze on top of the cake while it is still warm.

This cake is ready to enjoy in about 30 minutes!

How to Serve Cinnamon Roll Cake

You can serve Homemade Cinnamon Roll Cake warm or at room temperature. We love to serve as a dessert or it is even delicious for breakfast with your morning coffee.

How Do I Tell When Cake is Done?

The easiest way to figure out when the cinnamon roll cake is done by inserting a knife in the center of the cake. If it comes out clean then you can is done.

We love serving the cake warm. The warm and gooey brown sugar makes this cake irresistible!

Frequently Asked Questions