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This Cinnamon Roll Cake will be one of the most delicious things you ever eat – trust me on this. It tastes exactly like a cinnamon roll, but lighter and more fluffy, like coffee cake! Is it breakfast or dessert…or both?
Cinnamon Roll in a Cake
I love this easy Cinnamon Roll Cake Recipe because it’s a dessert mashup of three of my favorite things: cinnamon rolls, coffee cake, and yellow cake. The cinnamon-y flavor of course comes from the cinnamon center and the topping, but then the texture and glaze comes from cake.
This was such a good cinnamon bun cake that we had to re-home it immediately. I knew if we hadn’t we’d have eaten it with a fork straight from the pan within a day!
Ingredients Needed
- Unsalted Butter: We’ll be using melted unsalted butter and softened butter too. If you only have salted butter you can use that, just reduce added salt.
- Sugars: You’ll need granulated sugar and packed brown sugar for different parts of the cake. You’ll also need powdered sugar for the icing.
- Eggs: Large eggs add moisture and fat to the cake, keeping it moist!
- Cinnamon: Can’t have a cinnamon roll cake without ground cinnamon!
- Buttermilk: I use this in my cake recipes – it’s only for flavor so you can substitute regular milk or nondairy milk.
Variations & Substitutions
- Use nondairy milk or any kind of cows milk in place of the buttermilk.
- Swap cream cheese frosting for the powdered sugar icing.
- You can add 1 cup chopped nuts to the filling or the cake.
How to make Cinnamon Roll Cake
- Whisk flour, baking powder, and salt in a small bowl.
- Mix melted butter and sugar in a large bowl with a hand mixer at medium speed. Mix in egg and vanilla. Stir in milk, then stir in flour mixture until just mixed.
- Pour cake batter into a 9×13-inch baking pan that’s been sprayed with nonstick spray.
- Mix butter, brown sugar, cinnamon, and flour to make a paste for the cinnamon filling.
- Drop spoonfuls of the filling all over the cake batter in baking pan.
- Use a knife or the back of a wooden spoon to swirl the cinnamon mixture all over the cake.
- Bake until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes then glaze with a simple powdered sugar and milk icing.
Expert Tips
- It is best to wait for the cake to cool for a few minutes before putting the glaze on so it doesn’t just run right off.
- When a toothpick comes clean from the yellow part of the cake, you know it is done baking.
- While it would be easier, I do not recommend using a cake mix for this recipe. The cinnamon filling is very heavy and cake mix batter is thin – it’ll sink to the bottom.
Storage
Store covered at room temperature for up to 3 days. Freeze for up to 3 months. I like to freeze slices for easy grab and go snacks.
Cinnamon Roll Cake Recipe
This is a sweet cinnamon roll cake that tastes identical to a cinnamon rolls and has a texture of a cake! It is so delicious.
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 35 minutes
Total Time 55 minutes
Ingredients
Cake
- 3 cups (372g) all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ cup (113g) unsalted butter, melted
- 1 ½ cups (300g) granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup (237ml) milk
Topping:
- 1 cup (226g) unsalted butter
- 1 cup (200g) packed brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons (15g) all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon cinnamon
Glaze
- 2 cups (226g) powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 4-5 tablespoons milk
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray a 9×13-inch pan with nonstick cooking spray.
- Whisk flour, baking powder, and salt in a small bowl. Set aside.
- Mix melted butter and sugar in a large bowl with a hand mixer at medium speed. Mixture will be grainy. Mix in egg and vanilla. Stir in milk, then stir in flour mixture until just mixed. Pour cake batter into prepared pan. Set aside.
- Cream butter and brown sugar in a large bowl. Mix in flour and cinnamon. Mixture will be smooth. Drop by spoonfuls over cake in pan. Use a butter knife to swirtl the topping throughout the cake.
- Bake for 30-35 minutes, or until a toothpick in the cake part comes out clean and it no longer rolls when the pan is tapped. Cool 10 minutes then glaze.
- To make the glaze, whisk powdered sugar with vanilla and 4 tablespoons milk, adding more as needed for a drizzle consistency. Drizzle over the top of the cake.
- Cool completely or to at least warm (not hot) before serving.
- Store covered at room temperature for up to 3 days. Freeze for up to 3 months.
Recipe Video
Recipe Notes
- Cake is done baking when a toothpick comes out clean from the yellow cake part.
- Feel free to add 1 cup chopped nuts to the brown sugar filling.
Recipe Nutrition
Serving: 1serving | Calories: 298kcal | Carbohydrates: 45g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 12g | Saturated Fat: 8g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Trans Fat: 0.5g | Cholesterol: 46mg | Sodium: 112mg | Potassium: 110mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 32g | Vitamin A: 396IU | Vitamin C: 0.01mg | Calcium: 56mg | Iron: 1mg
Nutritional information not guaranteed to be accurate
Can you double this recipe?
Would like to make it for potluck.
Yes you can – use 2 pans
Do you use buttermilk or milk? Love your recipes! Can’t wait to try this one.
It uses milk. Thanks!
We are fans of cinnamon buns. Yeast recipes are not my friend. I have no luck. I think maybe my water is not hot enough or too warm. Anyway this cake was a big hit. Great in the morning with coffee or a snack after work. Thank you.
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