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If you’re looking for a special breakfast recipe for the holidays this Cinnamon Roll Coffee Cake is one to try! You don’t have to choose between cinnamon rolls and coffee cake – you can serve both. Homemade coffee cake is baked inside a Pillsbury cinnamon roll “crust” and the whole thing is ready to go in the oven in about 15 minutes! This coffee cake pie is perfect for all of your special occasion breakfasts and brunches.
You might be wondering: Is it a coffee cake? Is it a batch of cinnamon rolls? What is a Cinnamon Roll Coffee Cake, anyway? Let me explain.
It’s a coffee cake baked in a cinnamon roll pie “crust” so when it bakes up you get the best of two worlds: soft and moist homemade coffee cake baked inside a crust made from cinnamon rolls. Both are amazing on their own, but when you combine them? Breakfast heaven.
Although we are making the coffee cake from scratch – it’s the same easy base recipe I’ve used to make my pumpkin coffee cake and carrot cake coffee cake – we’re taking a short-cut with the rolls and using store-bought cinnamon roll dough. So, if you were worried this was an all-day project let me assure you it’s not. You only need one bowl to make the coffee cake batter and, once you make it, you just have to assemble and bake it.
Some people call this coffee cake pie or cinnamon roll coffee cake pie, but I just think of it as the ultimate holiday breakfast or brunch treat. You don’t have to choose! You can have your coffee cake AND your cinnamon rolls in one amazing dish. Plus, your house will smell delicious while it’s baking. Is there anything better than the scent of cinnamon wafting from the oven in the morning?
How to Make Cinnamon Roll Pie Crust
You only need one ingredient for the cinnamon roll crust: one 8-count can of cinnamon roll dough. You know, the kind that comes with the icing?
- The dough will be cut into eight pieces, so separate them first.
- Press each piece between your hands to flatten and them lay them in your pie plate so they’re covering the bottom and up the sides of the plate.
- You don’t want any holes or gaps in the crust, so close the gaps between the pieces by pinching the edges together to seal them.
How to Make Homemade Coffee Cake
My favorite coffee cake recipe is my mom’s and it works perfectly for this cinnamon roll coffee cake. Here are the ingredients you’ll need:
- Sugar
- Vegetable oil
- Egg
- Milk
- Baking powder
- Salt
- Flour
Grab a medium-sized bowl and combine all of the ingredients together. There shouldn’t be any lumps. Pour the coffee cake batter over the cinnamon rolls in the pie pan.
Coffee Cake Topping
The last step is the topping – just combine brown sugar, cinnamon and melted butter together in a small bowl. Sprinkle the mixture over the top of the coffee cake batter.
Pop the Cinnamon Roll Coffee Cake in the oven and bake it for 30 minutes at 350 degrees. You know it’s done when a toothpick comes out just shy of clean.
I can’t resist that packet of icing that comes with the cinnamon rolls. Is anyone else addicted to it, too? So, of course, I drizzle it over the warm cinnamon roll coffee cake as a final sweet touch.
Other recipes using Pillsbury Cinnamon Rolls:
- 2-ingredient Cinnamon Roll Pull Apart Bread
- Apple Fritter Bread
- Cinnamon Roll Cobbler
- Slow Cooker Monkey Bread
What can I serve with this cinnamon roll coffee cake?
If you’re serving this cinnamon roll coffee cake as a part of a bigger breakfast or brunch you might like serve these other dishes with it!
- Spinach Crustless Quiche – the combination of caramelized onions and spinach is so delicious in this quiche. Plus, it’s crustless, so it’s easy to make!
- Easy Hash Brown Casserole – this easy breakfast casserole is one of my no-fail breakfast dishes. It’s savory and hearty casserole loaded with hash browns, eggs, and sausage.
- Cheesy Egg Casserole – if you need a vegetarian breakfast recipe for brunch this cheesy egg casserole is a great choice.
Cinnamon Roll Coffee Cake
Ingredients
- 1 can 8 count cinnamon rolls with icing (Pillsbury, not Grands!)
- 3/4 cup ganulated sugar
- 1/4 cup vegetable oil
- 1 large egg
- 1/2 cup milk regular or nonfat is fine
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour + 2 tablespoons divided
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 2 teaspoons cinnamon
- 2 tablespoons butter melted
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray a 10-inch pie plate with cooking spray.
- Stir together sugar, oil, egg and milk in a large bowl. Add baking powder, salt, and 1 1/2 cups flour, and stir until no lumps remain. Set aside.
- Open can of cinnamon rolls and separate. One at a time, press the cinnamon roll between the palms of your hands to flatten. Press each into the bottom and up the sides of the pie plate to form the crust, pinching to seal any gaps between the rolls.
- Pour the coffee cake mixture over the cinnamon roll crust.
- In a small bowl, add the brown sugar, cinnamon, and 2 tablspoons of flour to the melted butter. Stir and sprinkle over the top of the coffee cake.
- Bake for about 25-30 minutes, until a toothpick comes out just shy of clean. While warm, top with icing that came with the cinnamon rolls.
Recipe Notes
Recipe Nutrition
This is the perfect mashup between coffee cake and cinnamon rolls! Using canned cinnamon rolls for a crust, this recipe is like a breakfast pie – and it’s so easy to make!
I made this and you said to sprinkle the brown sugar mixture over the top but mine was not crumbly. I had to drizzle it on. Do you know what I might have done wrong? Thank You, Shirley
Hi,
This looked so delicious, I tried making it twice. The second time (last night), the center didn’t set up, even after baking for an extra 15 minutes. I was afraid to go any longer than that because the outside was starting to brown. The first time I made it, kinda the same thing happened. Any clue what I might be doing wrong? Thanks! =)
Hi Denise! I’m so sorry! The only thing I can think of is that possibly your oven temperature is off? Or are you at a high altitude? I know that I’ve read if oven temp is off, it can cause the edges to cook and the center not too. Have you had other issues with cakes/coffee cakes/breads? I think that the pan can also affect it, I used a glass pan. If a different kind of pan was used, that too, could make a difference. Other than that, if something like this were to happen again, you can try (1) rotating the pan during baking to even it out and/or (2) covering the outside with foil to slow down the browning, then remove it towards the end so it can brown with the rest of the cake. Works with pie too!
Dude. I made this, seriously amazing. Absolutely fantastic recipe.
OMG!! Looks great. What about trying a CREAM FROSTING!!!!! Just drizzle a little maybe a lot! Can’t wait to try this.
Wow!!! This looks amazing xoxo
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