Cinnamon Roll Cake

Love cinnamon rolls but not the time spent baking them from scratch? This cinnamon roll cake has all the best parts of traditional cinnamon rolls—like a buttery cinnamon sugar filling and a sweet frosting finish—with no proofing, kneading or rolling required.

Instead, a simple vanilla cake batter is swirled with the same filling you find inside standard cinnamon rolls. As the cake bakes, the cinnamon roll filling infuses the entire cake (and your house!) with the delectable aromas of cinnamon, brown sugar and butter. The cake is then topped with cream cheese icing while still warm from the oven.

Ingredients for Cinnamon Roll Cake

• Butter: You’ll need four sticks of butter to make this cake. Note that you’ll use melted butter in the cake batter and softened butter in the filling and icing. Softened butter will make the filling and icing ultra-smooth. If you forget to remove your butter sticks from the fridge, you can soften butter quickly by cutting it into cubes or grating it.
• Sugar: Granulated sugar sweetens the cake layer and helps create a soft, tender crumb.
• Eggs: The cake batter calls for two large eggs. The cake batter will be easier to mix if you use room-temperature eggs. Cold eggs from the fridge can cause the melted butter to seize up and create a lumpy batter.
• Vanilla: Pure vanilla extract adds a sweet, floral flavor to the cake. You can also use an equal amount of vanilla bean paste if you have it on hand; it’ll add flecks of vanilla throughout the cake.
• Milk: Milk helps the cake stay moist and tender during baking. This recipe calls for whole milk, but you could use 2% without noticing much difference in taste or texture.
• All-purpose flour: Correctly measuring flour ensures a soft and light cake. Spoon flour into measuring cups and level it. Packing flour into your measuring cups can result in using too much flour, which makes the cake heavy and dry.
• Baking powder: Baking powder is the leavening agent that helps the cake rise during baking. Old baking powder can result in a flat cake, so double-check the expiration date and test the freshness of your baking powder to see if it’s ok to use.
• Salt: A pinch of salt helps balance the flavors and sweetness of this cinnamon roll cake.
• Filling: The cinnamon roll filling is a simple mixture of softened butter, brown sugar, ground cinnamon and a bit of all-purpose flour. If your sugar has hardened, you can soften brown sugar in the microwave!
• Icing: Topping the warm cake with cream cheese icing allows the icing to soften and seep into the nooks and crannies of the cake. You’ll need softened butter and cream cheese to make it, plus confectioner’s sugar and a bit of milk.

Directions

Step 1: Beat the wet ingredients

Preheat the oven to 350°F. In a large bowl, beat the melted butter and granulated sugar until they’re smooth, two to three minutes. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, until the mixture is fluffy and pale in color. Beat in the vanilla extract and milk until incorporated.

Editor’s Tip: A handheld mixer or stand mixer with a whisk attachment makes quick work of beating the ingredients, but a regular whisk and some elbow grease will also do the job!

Step 2: Add the dry ingredients

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Mix the flour, baking powder and salt in a separate bowl. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and whisk just until they’re incorporated. Pour the batter into a greased 13×9-inch baking dish.

Editor’s Tip: Scrape the sides of your bowl with a rubber spatula to help incorporate the dry and wet ingredients. Avoid overmixing; it’ll make your cake tough.

Step 3: Make the cinnamon roll filling

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In another large bowl, cream the softened butter, brown sugar, flour and cinnamon until they’re well combined and creamy. Spoon dollops of the cinnamon mixture evenly over the cake batter. Use a knife to swirl the cinnamon filling through the cake batter.

Step 4: Bake the cake

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Bake the cake until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, 35 to 40 minutes.

Step 5: Make the icing

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Place the softened butter and cream cheese in a large bowl. Use a handheld or stand mixer to beat them together at medium speed until they’re smooth, three to four minutes.

Reduce the mixer speed to medium-low, add the confectioners’ sugar and mix until it’s incorporated, one to two minutes longer. Increase the mixer speed to medium and add the milk, vanilla extract and salt. Beat until the icing is fluffy, three to four minutes longer.

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Spread the icing over the warm cake. Serve it immediately or at room temperature.

Editor’s Tip: Increase the amount of milk you add to the icing to make it thinner and more of a drippy glaze.

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Cinnamon Roll Cake Variations

• Add nuts: Walnuts or pecans will add crunch and flavor in the cinnamon roll filling. Chop raw, unsalted nuts into small pieces, or save time by purchasing a bag of pre-chopped nuts and mixing them into the cinnamon filling in Step 3.
• Make it a spice roll cake: Sprinkle other warming spices like nutmeg, ginger or pumpkin pie spice into the filling for more of a spice cake vibe.
• Try a different type of icing: Not a fan of cream cheese in desserts? Omit the cream cheese to make a vanilla buttercream glaze, or try a simple confectioner’s sugar glaze.
• Omit the icing: Leave the cake unglazed for a less sweet version. Instead, garnish squares of plain cinnamon roll cake with a dollop of homemade whipped cream.

How to Store Cinnamon Roll Cake

The icing on this cinnamon roll cake contains cream cheese, which can spoil if left at room temperature, so keep it chilled. Let the cake cool completely, then transfer slices to an airtight container or cover the cake pan with storage wrap and place it in the fridge.

The cake can be covered and stored at room temperature for up to a week if you omit the cream cheese and use a buttercream glaze or simple confectioner’s sugar glaze.

How long does cinnamon roll cake last?

Cinnamon roll cake will last for up to a week in the refrigerator. However, the sooner you can eat it, the better! The cake starts to dry out the longer it sits in the fridge.

Can you freeze cinnamon roll cake?

Yes, you can freeze cinnamon roll cake for up to three months. To freeze the whole cake, cover it with several layers of storage wrap, followed by a layer of aluminum foil. You can freeze slices in an airtight container or wrap them individually and place them in a storage bag. To thaw, place the cake or the number of slices you need in the fridge for several hours or overnight.

Cinnamon Roll Cake Tips

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Should you use salted or unsalted butter to make this cinnamon roll cake recipe?

Although you can bake with both salted and unsalted butters in a pinch, we recommend using unsalted butter in this recipe for the best-tasting cake. This cinnamon roll cake recipe contains close to four sticks of butter split between the batter, cinnamon roll filling and icing. That’s a lot of butter! If you were to make it with salted butter, you would be running the risk of the cake tasting too salty.

What is the secret to keeping cinnamon roll cake moist?

There are a couple of secrets to keeping this cinnamon roll cake moist, starting with not over-baking it. Start checking the cake for doneness at the early end of the recommended bake time. Measuring flour the right way and gently mixing the dry and wet ingredients also help keep the cake crumb light and tender.

Can you make this cinnamon roll cake recipe in a different size pan?

If you don’t need a large cake, you can easily convert this 9×13 recipe to an 8×8 pan by dividing the batter between two 8×8-inch pans. Then, you’ll have a second cake to freeze or share with family and friends!

What can you serve with cinnamon roll cake?

This cinnamon roll cake is exceptional with a hot mug of coffee or tea. Since it’s plenty sweet on its own, try serving slices with one of these lower-sugar, healthy coffee recipes. What a fun addition to your next brunch!

For more cinnamon roll-inspired recipes, try cinnamon roll french toast roll-ups, crescent roll cinnamon rolls or cinnamon roll cookies.