Cinnamon Roll Cake Recipe

Name: Cinnamon Roll Cake
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 40 min
Total time: 55 min
Ingredients: 3 cups all-purpose flour (Spooned and leveled); 1 cup granulated sugar (White sugar); 4 teaspoons baking powder (Not baking soda); 1/2 teaspoon salt (Table salt); 1.5 cups milk (Whole milk preferred); 2 large eggs (Room temperature); 2 teaspoons vanilla extract (Pure vanilla); 1/2 cup butter, melted (Unsalted, cooled slightly); 1/2 cup sour cream or Greek yogurt (Full-fat preferred); 1 cup brown sugar, packed (For cinnamon filling); 2 tablespoons ground cinnamon (For filling); 3 tablespoons butter, melted (For filling); 2 cups powdered sugar (For glaze); 5 tablespoons milk or heavy cream (For glaze); 1 teaspoon vanilla extract (For glaze)

This cinnamon roll cake is the easy dessert that brings bakery flavors home without yeast or waiting. Tender cake with swirled cinnamon filling and sweet vanilla glaze creates this crowd-pleasing treat. Takes about 45 minutes total. I make cinnamon roll cake whenever I need a cinnamon roll cake recipe that tastes like fresh cinnamon rolls without the rising time or complicated shaping.

Tender cake with swirled cinnamon filling and sweet vanilla glaze. Swirl cinnamon gently in figure-eights without mixing completely so you get pretty marbled streaks instead of brown specks.

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Why You'll Love This Cinnamon Roll Cake Recipe

Real talk, this cinnamon roll cake recipe is one of the most requested breakfast treats I've made and people always want seconds.

What Actually Works: This recipe mixes a simple cake batter from flour, sugar, eggs, and milk, pours half into a pan, swirls cinnamon sugar filling through it, adds the rest of the batter, swirls more filling on top, then bakes until golden. Simple ingredients, about 45 minutes from start to finish. Tastes like a cinnamon roll poke cake from a specialty bakery but uses basic pantry staples and one bowl for mixing.

My kids who usually refuse breakfast demolish this cinnamon roll cake recipe before school. It looks impressive enough for brunch gatherings but is so simple that even nervous bakers get perfect results. People always assume there's yeast involved when really it's just cake cinnamon rolls recipe logic with proper swirling technique.

The thing that changed everything: Understanding that you need to swirl gently and not overbake for cinnamon roll cake. My first attempt I stirred the cinnamon mixture completely into the batter because I thought it needed to be mixed and left it in the oven until a toothpick came out completely clean. The cinnamon disappeared into brown specks instead of pretty swirls while the cake turned dry and crumbly. Some parts were dense and heavy while others crumbled apart with no moisture or tender texture.

Jump to:

Why You'll Love This Cinnamon Roll Cake Recipe
What You'll Need for Cinnamon Roll Cake
How to Make Cinnamon Roll Cake
Top Tip
Ingredient Substitutions & Variations
Storage and Reuse Instructions
What to Serve With Cinnamon Roll Cake
My Cinnamon Roll Cake Journey
FAQ
More Recipes You'll Love
Cinnamon Roll Cake
Related
Pairing

What You'll Need for Cinnamon Roll Cake

Basic ingredients you probably already have. This is the easiest cake mix cinnamon rolls style you'll make this month.

For the Cake

All-purpose flour
Granulated sugar
Baking powder
Salt
Milk
Eggs
Vanilla extract
Melted butter
Sour cream or Greek yogurt

For the Cinnamon Swirl

Brown sugar
Ground cinnamon
Melted butter

cinnamon roll cake cinnamon swirl ingredients

For the Glaze

Powdered sugar
Milk or heavy cream
Vanilla extract

Optional Add-Ins

Chopped pecans or walnuts
Cream cheese in the glaze
Maple extract
Extra cinnamon
Nutmeg

Exact measurements in the recipe card.

How to Make Cinnamon Roll Cake

Let's get this cinnamon roll cake in the oven.

Preheat the oven: Set your oven to 350°F and grease a 9x13 inch baking pan with butter or cooking spray, then lightly flour it so the cake releases easily. Having your pan ready makes assembly smooth and prevents the batter from sitting too long.

Mix dry ingredients: Whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl until well combined with no lumps visible. The dry mixture for 9 x 13 coffee cake recipes creates the foundation for tender crumb texture.

mixing dry ingredients for cinnamon roll cake

Combine wet ingredients: In a separate bowl, whisk together milk, eggs, vanilla extract, melted butter, and sour cream until smooth and well blended. The sour cream for coffee cake 9x13 style adds moisture and tang that makes the cake extra tender.

combining wet ingredients for cinnamon roll cake

Make the batter: Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and stir gently with a wooden spoon just until combined with no dry flour streaks remaining. Don't overmix or the cake will be tough instead of tender. The batter for 8 x 8 coffee cake recipes scaled up should be thick but pourable.

Prepare cinnamon filling: In a small bowl, mix brown sugar, cinnamon, and melted butter until it forms a thick paste that's spreadable but not runny. The filling for easy cinnamon roll coffee cake recipes should be thick enough to create distinct swirls without disappearing into the batter.

Layer the batter: Pour half the cake batter into the prepared pan and spread it evenly to cover the bottom completely. This creates the base layer for 8x8 coffee cake recipe doubled portions.

Add first swirl: Drop spoonfuls of the cinnamon filling over the batter in the pan, then use a butter knife to swirl it through the batter in figure-eight motions. Don't stir completely or you'll lose the swirl pattern. The swirling for quick and easy coffee cake recipes creates those signature cinnamon roll streaks.

adding first cinnamon swirl to cake batter

Top with remaining batter: Pour the rest of the cake batter over the swirled layer and spread gently to cover. Drop more cinnamon filling on top and swirl again with a knife. The double swirl for coffee cake 9x13 pan versions ensures cinnamon flavor throughout every slice.

Bake until set: Bake at 350°F for 35 to 40 minutes until the top is golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with just a few moist crumbs, not wet batter. The cake for cinnamon rolls sanrio aesthetic presentations should spring back when lightly touched and pull away slightly from the pan edges.

Make the glaze: While the cake bakes, whisk together powdered sugar, milk, and vanilla extract in a bowl until smooth and pourable. Adjust consistency by adding more milk to thin or more sugar to thicken. The glaze for cinnamon rolls recipe easy versions should be thick enough to coat but thin enough to drizzle.

Glaze while warm: Remove the cake from the oven and let it cool for just 5 minutes, then drizzle the glaze all over the warm cake so it soaks in slightly. The warm cake for easy desserts with few ingredients absorbs some glaze while the rest creates a sweet coating on top.

Serve warm or room temperature: Cut into squares and serve. This tastes amazing warm when the glaze is still melty, but also delicious at room temperature for cinnabon cake style breakfast treat.

Top Tip

Swirl gently and don't overbake for perfect cinnamon roll cake:

That gentle swirling plus proper baking time is what makes cinnamon rolls aesthetic versions actually work
Made this mistake twice stirring the filling completely in and baking too long
The cinnamon disappeared and the cake turned dry and crumbly
There were no pretty swirls and the texture was tough and dense
Started swirling gently in figure-eights without mixing completely
Pulled the cake at 38 minutes when a toothpick had moist crumbs
Suddenly got perfect cinnamon swirl cake results every time
Beautiful marbled swirls throughout with tender moist crumb

Ingredient Substitutions & Variations

The base cinnamon roll cake is perfect but you can customize for different occasions.

Cake Mix Version

Use a white or yellow cake mix instead of making batter from scratch for cinnamon roll cake recipe with cake mix that's even faster. The cake mix for best cinnamon roll cake recipe with cake mix versions still needs the cinnamon swirl and glaze for authentic flavor.

Cream Cheese Glaze

Beat softened cream cheese into the glaze for tangy richness in your old fashioned cinnamon roll cake recipe. The cream cheese makes it taste more like authentic cinnamon roll frosting.

Poke Cake Style

Poke holes all over the warm cake and pour glaze into them for cinnamon roll poke cake that's extra moist. The poked version for easy cinnamon roll cake recipe creates pockets of sweet glaze throughout.

Storage and Reuse Instructions

Yeah, cinnamon roll cake keeps great actually.

Room Temperature: Cover the cake tightly with plastic wrap or foil and store at room temperature for up to 3 days. The cake stays moist and actually tastes better the next day as the flavors meld together.

Refrigerator: Refrigerate covered cake for up to 5 days if your kitchen is very warm. Let it come to room temperature or warm slices in the microwave for 15 seconds before serving.

Freezing: This moist cinnamon roll cake recipe freezes beautifully for up to 3 months. Wrap tightly in plastic wrap then foil, or freeze individual slices. Thaw overnight at room temperature and warm before serving.

Serving: This tastes best served slightly warm when the glaze is soft and the cake is tender. Microwave individual slices for 10 seconds to refresh them.

What to Serve With Cinnamon Roll Cake

This cinnamon roll cake recipe is perfect for breakfast or dessert.

Breakfast Spread

Serve with hot coffee, fresh fruit, and scrambled eggs for complete brunch. The sweet cake for cinnamon roll ideas balances savory breakfast items perfectly.

Dessert Service

Pair with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream for an indulgent dessert. The warm cake with cold ice cream creates amazing contrast for cinnamon roll cupcakes style individual servings.

Coffee Bar

Serve alongside different coffee drinks for coffee cake social gathering. Multiple beverage options for cinnamon bun cake pairings let guests customize their experience.

My Cinnamon Roll Cake Journey

First time I made cinnamon roll cake I stirred the cinnamon filling completely into the batter because I thought it needed to be evenly distributed. Baked it until a toothpick came out completely clean because that's what I always did. The cinnamon disappeared into brown specks with no swirls while the cake turned dry and crumbly like sawdust. My family ate the edges and left the middle.

Tried again swirling the filling gently in figure-eights and pulling the cake at 38 minutes when the toothpick had moist crumbs. Suddenly the technique worked perfectly with beautiful marbled swirls throughout. My mother-in-law who's been baking for 40 years asked for my recipe.

Then I skipped the glaze because I thought the cake had enough sweetness from the cinnamon. It tasted boring and plain like regular coffee cake instead of cinnamon roll flavored. Started making the sweet vanilla glaze and got perfect results that tasted like actual cinnamon rolls.

Now I make this cinnamon roll cake recipe every Sunday for breakfast because I know the tricks: swirl gently, don't overbake, make the glaze, and use sour cream.

Similar Easy Coffee Cake Recipes Worth Making

Blueberry Coffee Cake: Tender vanilla cake studded with fresh blueberries and topped with crunchy streusel for breakfast favorite.

Sour Cream Coffee Cake: Classic coffee cake with cinnamon streusel swirl in the middle and crumb topping for bakery-style treat.

Apple Cinnamon Coffee Cake: Spiced cake with diced apples throughout and cinnamon sugar topping for fall-inspired breakfast.

These cinnamon rolls from scratch alternatives all use similar easy techniques and deliver that same satisfying sweet breakfast feeling as cinnamon roll cake.

FAQ

What is the 1234 cake rule?

The 1234 cake rule is a traditional recipe ratio of 1 cup butter, 2 cups sugar, 3 cups flour, and 4 eggs that creates a basic pound cake. This cinnamon roll cake recipe uses similar ratios but adds leavening and sour cream for lighter texture. The rule for best cinnamon roll cake recipe versions helps bakers remember ingredient proportions without measuring every time.

What is the Cinnabon secret ingredient?

The Cinnabon secret ingredient is Makara cinnamon, which is a premium Indonesian cinnamon with sweet flavor and distinctive aroma. For cinnamon roll cake recipe with cake mix versions, use high-quality cinnamon for best results. Regular grocery store cinnamon works fine but upgrading to Vietnamese or Ceylon cinnamon makes easy cinnamon roll cake recipe taste more authentic.

Why does heavy cream make cinnamon rolls better?

Heavy cream makes cinnamon rolls better by adding richness and creating ultra-tender texture that stays soft for days. The fat in cream for old fashioned cinnamon roll cake recipe keeps baked goods moist and prevents them from drying out. Heavy cream in the glaze also creates silky smooth consistency that coats better than milk-based glazes.

What makes cinnamon rolls soft and fluffy?

What makes cinnamon rolls soft and fluffy is proper gluten development from kneading, adequate rising time, and using eggs and fat in the dough. For moist cinnamon roll cake recipe versions, baking powder creates lift instead of yeast. The sour cream and butter in the batter create tenderness while the sugar keeps it soft by retaining moisture.

More Recipes You'll Love

Once you've nailed this cinnamon roll cake recipe, try my Greek Chicken Gyros for marinated chicken in pita with tzatziki sauce. My Creamy Garlic Pasta comes together in 20 minutes with rich sauce. And my Garlic Butter Steak Bites and Potatoes make tender steak with crispy potatoes everyone devours.